Dream a Little Dream of Me
by FlameTwirler
Summary: Semi-AU. Mostly IK, some MS. The youkai village; some said it had never truly existed. But Kagome found it, boy had she found it. Now what could she do - trapped - both fearful and feared?
1. Of Sickness

Disclaimer: Along with everyone else on this site, I do not own Inuyasha.

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**Chapter 1: Of Sickness

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**

Kagome woke up to a feeling of increased wariness. She didn't know what it was, but something told her that this day was going to be different, for better or worse.

Her grogginess was slow in leaving her, and as she stepped outside she could see why. The sky was completely overcast, giving a gloomy feeling to the day.

She looked to the next hut over and saw Sango come out. The older girl was the closest thing she had to family as Kagome's own parents and brother had died 5 years prior from an illness that swept across the countryside. While the entire village had rallied around her and helped raise her, she and Sango had formed a special connection. No matter what her mood or what had happened that day she always went soft when she saw her friend. Especially lately…

Sango waved good morning to Kagome, smiling at the feeling of being outside in the cool breeze. It lightened her heart and made her feel better for the moment. She turned around as she felt the houshi stepping outside of the hut behind her.

"Miroku…do you think Kagome looks troubled today?" She no sooner got the words out of her mouth than Miroku had grasped her by the waist, quickly spinning her into him to give her a short, passionate kiss. He sighed against her as he broke off.

"I will never tire of hearing my name roll off your beautiful lips, my Sango." At this he admired her growing blush. No matter how tired or overused his lines were she never got tired hearing a single one and could only blush when everyone else in hearing distance rolled their eyes. "Now what were you saying about Kagome-sama?"

"I was saying…I think I'm going to be sick!" With this she was off, pushing him away and hurtling around the side of the hut.

As Kagome saw Sango running off all her earlier thoughts were brushed aside. She knelt down beside her on the backside of the hut where she was bent over some bushes and gently grabbed her friend's hair to hold it back.

"You okay Sango?" Kagome was sympathetic, if not a little jealous. While her friend was sick more often than not now she still had this glow about her that told just about everyone how happy she was with life at the moment.

"Yes Kagome, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Well at least you only have six more months to go," Kagome comforted as a wistful smile graced her face. Already she was 17 years old, far past marriageable age for the Feudal Era. Sango and Miroku had been lucky. She herself might never know what it would be like to carry and bear a child. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she looked down as Sango began to get up.

"Youkai all around and it's a human that brings me down," she said in irony.

Kagome laughed. "Are you referring to your lecherous husband or your baby?" She glanced back at Miroku and smiled at him as he looked at the two of them anxiously, concern obviously written across his features. "You two are going to make great parents."

* * *

Kagome glanced over at Sango as they trudged through the forest and wondered when the demon hunter would stop going out on the field with her. Sure, they had to find food and the medicinal herbs that grew in abundance in the area, but the main reason they went out was to patrol the borders of the village against any roving youkai. Sango was a valuable warrior, brave and loyal almost to a fault, but Kagome was beginning to wonder if Sango should be doing this anymore in her condition. Surely even taijiya had stipulations for safe-guarding a pregnant mother and her children's health… 

She relented, giving a small silent sigh and shaking her head. The two of them could surely go at it as far as stubbornness was concerned, but no one could beat Sango when she had that look in her eyes, and of course this morning it had been prominent once again. She hadn't been able to talk Sango out of coming and she assumed it would be another couple months before she and Miroku could convince her, if they could at all. Kagome quietly laughed at the image of Sango, 9 months pregnant, still carrying around her hiraikotsu, and probably still kicking youkai ass too.

Sango quirked an eyebrow at her. "What are you laughing at?"

Kagome was just about to answer when she suddenly felt an oppressive presence bearing down on all her senses and came crashing to a halt. At first she couldn't make heads or tails of the direction so she just crouched silently, motioning to Sango who had already done the same as she tried to pinpoint where the feeling was coming from. One thing Kagome could say, the pregnancy had certainly not dulled Sango's senses at all – if anything it had heightened them.

She shook off the distracting thought and once again focused on the presence surrounding them. Quite suddenly she felt it gathering and then moving almost directly in front of them. Kagome shot off like an arrow, Sango following so stealthily even Kagome could not hear her and only knew from experience that she was just behind and to the left.

They had been at a full run for a good fifteen minutes but still the manifestation loomed right in front of them, just beyond reach. Kagome saw Sango in the corner of her eye and was suddenly stricken with such a strong sense of anxiety for the unborn child that she skidded to a halt.

"Sango, you should turn around and go home. I can do this."

"Kagome, you of all people should know that I am strong enough to do this, and that I do not abandon my friends. I will not let you go alone!" To prove her point the normally reserved and stoic warrior let a small hint of her underlying anxiety and hurt into her voice.

Kagome winced at the tone seeing in her eyes not only the sadness of being questioned but also worry at her own actions.

"I know you can do this Sango. I do not question you and I hope you know that I would never do that. That…_manifestation_ up ahead is not _normal_. I know you can handle it, but what about your child?. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel that whatever is ahead will change his life forever."

"Kagome-chan," Sango started as she placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder, "I know you love this baby and want to protect it, but so do I. I will do everything I can for this child, and try anything that I can't. That does NOT mean however that I will abandon my friends. I cannot tell what the future is, but I am not there. I am here, right now, with you, and I will not leave you to go on by yourself. I will never leave unprotected anyone that I love!" At this she grabbed Kagome into a fierce hug for a split second before backing away, fire in her eyes.

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. Never had she seen Sango like this; even when her she'd been comforting her over the premature deaths of her parents and brother the older girl had only offered the gesture once. Perhaps she was not the only one getting a strange vibe from whatever lay ahead of them. In any case, as she pulled back and saw the determined set to Sango's jaw she knew there was no talking her out of this.

Kagome couldn't help but smile as she turned around, even as a sigh escaped her lips. "Well, I guess we should be getting on then. Miroku should be getting back from his duty at the shrine right about now and will be wondering what happened to us." That being said, they sped off into the deepening darkness of the forest.

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They had been going at a steady pace for a while now. The scenery had changed slightly, signaling the end of the territory surrounding their village; the trees were denser here and twilight seemed to hang eternally in the branches. A faint mist was floating off the ground, small wisps finding escape through the small gaps in between the trees. From the sound of water it appeared that there was a hot spring nearby, or more likely a series of them connected by tiny waterfalls. 

Sango paused to take in their surroundings, careful not to let a sound escape even in her awe. She couldn't remember ever being to this place before, which surprised her because she thought she knew all the land in the area. A small breeze passed through the area carrying a strange scent through the air and her hand raised to tuck a stray hair back into her ponytail.

Kagome breathed in deep, the breeze bringing the smells of many flowers and herbs, some strange, some familiar, and something else altogether foreign. As she looked over slightly to her left she noticed at least two different medicinal plants, ones that were typically hard to find. She couldn't understand this area – it was so clean, as if no human had ever stepped foot there before. Almost she wished she could transplant the village right here but just as quickly realized that such a thing would defeat the purpose. To do so would spoil the reason that she loved the place, it would no longer be fresh and new.

Sango's voice broke into her thoughts. "It's such a lovely place, I almost feel sacrilegious just being here."

"Yeah," replied Kagome, almost in a daze. "We should be moving on."

They turned to each other and at the wistful looks in both their eyes they almost laughed, but neither seemed able to force their mouths into the right movement. Instead they turned slowly, almost reluctantly, and started their pursuit again.

The very instant they set foot outside that magical place they came straight into contact with that strange presence, but it was so much more powerful than before, so much so that the two felt like they had run straight into a wall of solid rock. Sango recoiled back, falling back to one knee, but Kagome's miko powers seemed like they were acting of their own accord.

Her entire body seemed to light up ever so slightly, the glow brightening from where it emanated from her head and her hands. Little sparks of pink and yellow light were shooting off her in all directions, crackling as they made physical contact with the ground and forest growth. The majority of them, though, shot off toward the stifling force that had thrown them back and Kagome seemed determined to press through it. She somehow _knew_ to the very core of her that this was not a barrier, that the presence itself was what was barring them from making headway. The problem was the further she fought her way inside the more it enclosed around her until she was finding herself encased on every side by the oppressive aura. Her vision began to black out and she was having trouble breathing. The light flared up higher and brighter, the tendrils of her energy flying out further.

Sango looked up when she heard Kagome's energy come to life. _Heard?_ _How could that be right?_ It would be nearly impossible for someone as untrained as herself in holy duties to physically _hear_ something from the spiritual plane. As she looked up she realized it wasn't her friend who was giving off the sound, but the hideous clash between two opposing forces that was causing the sounds of friction.

Quickly she rolled to her feet and held her hand out to Kagome; she had never seen the younger girl in such a state. It looked almost as if the power was controlling her, rather than her controlling it. Suddenly she pulled her hand back, scalded as a tendril of combined energy snaked across her arm. For a moment she looked on, unsure of what to do, until she saw her friend starting to black out. Then she couldn't take it anymore.

She went bowling through everything, both the oppressive presence and Kagome's own energy in order to reach her. She grabbed onto Kagome's shoulders and began to drag her backwards, even as the energy started to envelop the two of them together. She felt as if she was sharing in everything Kagome was feeling, both the amazing power and consciousness imbued by the miko's senses, and the draining effect it was having on her body.

With one final effort Sango hauled Kagome back another short bit and dropped to the ground, exhausted but glad to see that Kagome was alright and that her energy had flared down completely. She looked normal now and even though she wasn't awake she knew she'd have to be satisfied with that for now. As unconsciousness claimed her Sango realized she had fought them backward into the place they had been standing just moments before. For a short second a flash of worry crossed her mind, she almost hated to soil the place with their presence, but then as she breathed the crisp air, air that she believed had never been breathed before, she was overcome with peace and drifted off into oblivion.

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**A/N: **I'm alive, who knew? I'm bound and determined to finally finish the blasted epilogue to this thing if it kills me! (Which it very well might…) That means going through and reacquainting myself with the story so I figured I may as well do some edits along the way so that I don't mentally cringe every time I think of this fic. 

Originally posted 2/3/05, edited 3/15/07


	2. Breathe, Just Breathe

**A/N:**

Inu-KagloverThanx for the review! Don't worry, the rest of the characters will be in the story. Inuyasha will be getting there soon – you get a glimpse of him in this chapter – and Shippo still a little while later. The rest may not come in for a while, but they'll be there.

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Disclaimer: No, he ain't mine. But personally, I think Rumiko's doing a pretty good job with him, so I'm okay with that…for now…muahahahaha.

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**Chapter 2: Breathe, Just Breathe**

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Kagome's senses were still overwhelmed as she awoke. She focused on the only thing she could distinguish among the myriad of things battling for her attention.

She heard crackling.

Trying to get up, she found her arms were too weak to support her weight. The crackling and popping grew louder and she began to hear voices. She began to panic as she realized she couldn't see.

Fighting the darkness that surrounded her she started struggling and lashing out with what little energy she had – and in her struggle her eyes popped open. With a grunt she flopped herself down flat on her back. She brought a hand to her forehead, "Please tell me I didn't just think I had gone blind because my eyes were still closed," she groaned. As she turned her face it came to rest in the soft futon – wait – FUTON!

That brought the jolt of energy she was looking for. The quick beat of her heart was all she heard as she began to scan the room, above all looking for any sign of her friend. Her breathing became more rapid as she looked over the room a second time, her eyes coming to rest on a dark corner. A deep sigh of relief flooded her entire being as she realized Sango was still with her, deep in sleep on her own futon.

Kagome crept over to her, keeping as quiet as possible. She had no idea what was in store for them, so she figured it best to let Sango sleep while she could.

The shadows played across Sango's face, dancing along her dark features. In the quick moments of light Kagome thought that Sango's skin looked slightly reddened, as if she had been exposed to a prolonged heat – but then the shadows would cover her face again and the glimpse would be gone. She had a feeling she was supposed to know something about that, but she couldn't remember yet.

Just then she heard the crackling again. The force of the sound overtook her senses, until she almost could not see Sango in front of her anymore.

Quietly she got up and tried to discern the source of the sound. It was coming from outside the room, along with the voices that had returned. She stood, half entranced as if in a forgotten dream, staring at the shoji door. There was a dim light coming through, a haunting dance played on the screen, a battle of light verses shadow…if only she could remember…remember…

A harsh voice from outside cut through her thoughts like a knife and she broke out of her trance. '_Of course,'_ she laughed. '_There's a fire outside.' _She really had to stop taking everything so seriously.

But this just brought more questions. If there's a fire there must be people. _Who are they?_ She silently moved toward the door, intent on answering these questions as they continued to flow through her mind. _Where is this place? How did we get here? I don't remember any villages around here. Who else lives here? Why did they bring us here? How did…why did…_

Her thoughts were cut short as she reached for the door only to have it slide open before she could touch it, her hand instead coming into contact with something warm instead.

Anger and surprise won out in her mix of emotions. "Hey, what's the big idea!

The sound of a deep throaty growl drew her attention and she gasped as she finally looked up to see what she had bumped into – the face of an Inu demon.

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His calloused, clawed hand grabbed hers off of where it had landed on his chest and held it above her head. "I could ask you the same thing wench," he growled out.

She continued to stare up at him, just as he stared down at her. Well, glared was more like it. There was something flitting across his eyes that she couldn't quite place.

"Feh." And with that he dropped his gaze slightly and pushed her hand away, effectively pushing her back also. "Wake your friend up. Someone's coming to see you." And with that he was gone, the door shut behind him.

Kagome stood there in a daze for a moment before turning back to Sango. _That was weird. What did he mean 'someone's' coming to see us? Who knows us? What is this place!_ She mentally sighed. Crouching down she gently shook Sango's shoulders to awaken her.

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As soon as Sango's eyes were open she bolted upright, her slayer senses instantly on full alert. She surveyed the room, her demeanor staying calm, fighting the urge to be frantic. "Hiraikotsu," she said simply.

"Huh?" replied Kagome.

"Where's Hiraikotsu? It's not here."

"_They_ must have it," Kagome said, her eyes moving to the door.

"_They,"_ breathed Sango. "Demons. There's so many of them the jyaki is almost suffocating."

"Yes, I know. One of them was just in here, an Inu demon. He said someone's coming to see us."

Both of them remained silent as they contemplated what this could mean for them.

"We're surrounded, you know. I've never felt so many in one place before. Do you know what this could mean?"

Sango stared at Kagome in amazement. She was excited! Yes, she was excited. That girl could be quite strange at times.

"You don't mean…" Sango began somewhat hesitantly.

"Yes!" interrupted an exhilarated Kagome. "The youkai village – it's not just a legend. We're in it!"

Sango cut her off. "Kagome – shhhh! Keep your voice down. With youkai all around they're bound to hear us. But even with this many, what makes you think that the village is true? This could just be a large tribe."

"But Sango, the rumors must have started for a reason. There's been truth to other of the old legends, so why not this one? Can you imagine? All different kinds of youkai living together in harmony – it's something to hope for so why can't it be true? If youkai can do it then humans should be able to do it and maybe the two could even exist together in peace!"

Sango almost winced at the excited smile on Kagome's hopeful face. One of the things she loved most about her friend was her naïveté and innocence, her ability to see good and hope in almost any person and any situation. She hated to be the one to shatter Kagome's dream this time.

"Listen Kagome, they did not bring us here in a peace effort. Granted, they didn't kill us and treated us decently. I have woken up in worse places before. But I cannot believe that they brought us here to treaty with us. How many demons have you purified Kagome? How many have I killed? No. They have no reason to trust us, just as we have no reason to trust them. Have you ever met a youkai who didn't want to kill you or harm the village?"

Sango paused for a moment, allowing Kagome to take all of this information in. She hated the look she saw on her friend's face, but she knew Kagome had to be prepared for what they might face.

She took a breath and cautiously started again. "Even if this is the youkai village, with understanding and kind youkai, what will happen to us? Especially if this is the youkai village – think about it Kagome. They couldn't let us go; they couldn't risk their secret getting out. You know there are those out there who would hunt the village down to extinction. Basically, whatever way you look at it we're out of luck."

Sango looked down and began to rub her abdomen. "Oh, Sango," Kagome said as she grabbed Sango's hands in her own, looking at her with sympathetic eyes.

She just opened her mouth to speak when the shoji door slid open. The two turned and looked with wide eyes on the fiercest demon either had ever seen.

"I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands."

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Definitions:

Jyaki: demon energy, or aura

Shoji: paper-like walls used in buildings during the feudal era, also a type of screen used to divide a room

Youkai: demon

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	3. Introductions

**A/N**:

Hayashi Panthera: Thanx for the review. You're right; my chapters definitely should be longer. It just took me a while to get into the story, and I just wanted to get it out of my head. Now it's on a good roll though, so things should be getting better.

XxdevilNightmareXX: Glad you like it. I shall try to keep it fresh and updated as much and as quickly as possible.

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Disclaimer: If I didn't own it in the previous chapters, you think that's changed by now? Nope, not so much.

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**Chapter 3: Introductions**

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"I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands."

The two girls were awestruck. Neither had ever seen a lordly youkai before. They only had experience with wild youkai on mad rampages bent on destruction. This youkai in front of them was calm and collected, but they could sense from his jyaki and the way he carried himself, that underneath it all he was the fiercest living creature they had ever met.

"You," he started, "are now servants in this youkai village."

"Then it is true – this is the youkai village!" Squealed an excited Kagome, ignorant of the fact that her status in life had just changed. "But doesn't that mean there's many different kinds of youkai here? All we have seen are Inu…"

Kagome thought she could almost see Sesshomaru's mental sigh. "It is not wise to interrupt me girl. The other you saw, Inuyasha, is this Sesshomaru's half-brother. A mere hanyou, but he has his uses and pulls his weight like everyone else here. If you have anymore questions you may ask him once we are done as I have other business to attend to more pressing than bantering with two human women." At this point Kagome noticed that Inuyasha had come in with Sesshomaru, but was merely standing idly behind him.

"You are officially prisoners here," he continued regally, "but you will be treated well and given a fair amount of freedom. You will work here and no slacking, but you will be provided for. You are free while you are in the village, but you are forbidden from leaving. If you try to escape you _will_ be killed."

At their horrified faces he added, "We have had to work long and hard for the amount of safety and security this village provides some of our weaker youkai. We will _not_ risk our secret getting out. Inuyasha will see to it that you are given work suitable to you." And with that he turned to walk out.

"Ano, Sesshomaru-sama," added Kagome boldly, "but if we are such a burden and hazard to the village then why did you let us live?"

He gazed at her long and hard before answering. "First of all, the two of you showed respect in the sacred place. But more importantly, despite what you may think, we are not mindless, bloodthirsty monsters. On the contrary, we – unlike many humans – do not needlessly kill women, even human women, especially if they are with child." With a flourish of white hair he was gone, leaving two stunned girls in his wake.

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"With child!" Exclaimed a flabbergasted Sango. "How did he know that after five minutes? I'm not even showing yet!"

Inuyasha's poor sensitive ears were plastered against his skull as he retorted, "Because we're Inu, stupid! I could smell your son a kilometer away. Now hush up before you make me go deaf--"

"My son?" whispered Sango, her hands once again making their way to her abdomen. "You can tell it's a boy?"

"Yeah, I--"

"Miroku would've been so proud," she said sadly as tears began to fill her eyes.

"Why…wha…why are you crying?" asked a confused Inuyasha. "I hate crying…" he added under his breath.

"Well what do you expect?" broke in an angered Kagome. "This child obviously has to have a father, and that father also obviously is not here. We are trapped here, unable to get to him, and he is unable to get to us! Wouldn't you cry if you knew your child was going to grow up fatherless? And for a son, no less…poor boy. How would you feel growing up without a father?"

Inuyasha stood abruptly. "Do not speak about my father," he began in a low growl. "You know nothing about my father!" As he slammed out of the room he did not notice the change in Kagome's eyes as she watched him leave in pain.

Kagome did her best to comfort Sango in her sorrow, despite battling her own despair on her changed life, and the two eventually fell into an uneasy sleep. Kagome finally allowed her own tears to flow through in her dreams; Sango turned restlessly, calling out Miroku's name in her sleep.

Outside the door was Inuyasha, where he still stood guard to make sure the girls wouldn't try to escape. His heightened Inu senses didn't miss anything that was going on in their room.

None of them had a good sleep that night.

* * *

Inuyasha was alert as soon as first light was out. He slid open the door to the girls' room and mentally sighed. Why was it that ningens slept so late? "Oi, wake up!" he called. "Here's breakfast," he said, placing two bowls just inside the door. Then closing the door again, he walked off. He had some business to take care of before he could talk to those girls again.

* * *

Kagome sat up and yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she heard the call to breakfast. _How nice, a boy bringing me breakfast in bed. And all I had to do to get this kind of service was to become a prisoner_, she thought sarcastically. Sango was already up retrieving the bowls, and brought one over to Kagome, flopping down next to her. Both had so many questions, but their thoughts and emotions were in such a whirlwind that neither knew quite where to start. They sat in contemplation as they finished their breakfast.

Sango was the first to break the silence. "Kagome-chan, what happened to you? Your powers seemed just so out of control! I thought Kaede had been working with you and you had been doing so well?"

Kagome looked perplexed by this question, she really didn't remember much. "Honestly Sango-chan, I don't even know what happened exactly, I don't remember much. I just remember feeling out of control, then hearing crackling and feeling like I was floating. But it was almost as if I was looking through a different set of eyes, I just don't know… Then just blackness. What stopped it?"

Sango looked worriedly at her friend. "It was when we left what that youkai called the 'sacred place.' That presence we had been following was too overbearing and became like a wall all around us. I guess now that was probably the combined jyaki of all the youkai in this village. But it was like your miko powers responded to it and was trying to fight it off all at once. Your aura was gigantic! It was sending spirals of energy off in every direction and was coming into contact with something that was making it spark and crackle. It didn't stop until I had drug you back to the clearing, and that's when I passed out too."

"Oh Sango!" cried out Kagome, distressed. "You weren't hurt were you? I saw that your skin was a little red when we first woke up, but I thought it was just the fire light."

"I was hurt a little bit. I think it almost connected us somehow. I felt the drain on my energy just as you must have felt it on yours. Strange though, because since I'm human your miko power should have had no affect on me. Still, it was just a little bit – my skin just felt slightly warmer, almost like a minor burn. I'm just thankful I'm not a youkai, or you probably could have killed me!" Sango laughed, her eyes sparkling as she marveled over her friend's power. She sombered up quickly though. "Seriously though Kagome, you should make sure not let anyone here know of your power."

"Hai," responded Kagome, in all seriousness as well. "They would probably see me as too much of a threat and kill me, despite not wanting to kill women. I still just wish I knew why I lost control of my power."

* * *

At this moment the door slid open again, and there stood Inuyasha. Kagome took in a sharp breath, and held it. She knew that with his increased senses it was probable he had heard what they had just been talking about. In that case, she would be done for. Inuyasha sent her a piercing stare, before turning his gaze to encompass Sango as well. He stepped into the room and cleared his throat.

"It's time to assign you both some work," he started. Kagome's eyes popped open wide. She was sure she had to have heard, didn't he? But he wasn't saying anything! What the heck did this mean?

Inuyasha cleared his throat again. "Everyone works in the fields. This is a large village, with lots of mouths to feed, so there is always plenty of work to do there. However, there is also other work to be done. What with you-" he looked at Sango "-being pregnant, and you-" he glanced at Kagome "-being so fond of speaking about and defending children-" at this Kagome looked down at her feet, she hadn't meant to offend him the night before "-that you could also work with the village orphans."

Both girls snapped their heads up, staring at him with eager eyes. "You mean we can work with children?" squealed Kagome. She almost began bouncing up and down clapping her hands when he nodded his head yes, ignorant of the fact that there was a slight reddish tinge to his cheeks.

"When do we start?" excitedly asked Kagome. However, her attention was drawn off from Inuyasha's answer as a red furball came bolting into the room. As it came to a stop in front of her she saw that it was actually a young kitsune-cub, a little boy.

"Hey runt! I told you to stay at the orphanage!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Yeah, well I got bored waiting for you," whined the kitsune. "Besides, why would I want to listen to you?" he added as he stuck out his tongue at the hanyou.

"Why you little--"

"OOO! Who's she? She's pretty!" cut off the little fuzzball as he crawled up into Kagome's lap. "Hi, I'm Shippo. What's your name?" Kagome couldn't help but giggle at the little child. "My name's Kagome."

Shippo bounded off Kagome's lap and went over to Sango. "Hi, what's your name?" he asked. "I'm Sango," she smiled. "Sango," he repeated. He then carefully placed his tiny paws on her stomach. "When you have your baby, can I play with him?" Sango went slack-jawed for a split second. "You wouldn't mind having a ningen for a friend?" Shippo tilted his head at her. "If he can play well he can be my friend, I don't care who it is," he said, smiling up at her.

Sango was taken aback and couldn't help but smile again as Shippo went dancing back over to Kagome. He crawled up into her lap again and looked up at her. "Can you be my friend too?" As she looked down at him, Kagome was overwhelmed by an instant love for this tiny youkai. "Of course I can, Shippo. I would like that." They both smiled as Shippo looked her over again. "You look like my mama."

"Idiot kitsune," interjected a mocking Inuyasha, "your mom was a kitsune like you, not a ningen."

"I know that baka!" retorted Shippo. "But if your brain wasn't too small to remember, you'd know that we can change shape. When she took human shape she looked like Kagome!"

"Baka am I!" snarled Inuyasha. "Let's see who the baka really is once I get my hands on you!"

And with that the two were off, chasing each other in circles around the room; Shippo hurling acorns and snide comments at the hanyou, while Inuyasha continued to growl and gain on the kitsune. Kagome looked over at a startled Sango, but couldn't help but laughing herself. _Well, whatever this may be, at least it won't be boring. This may not be that bad after all!

* * *

_

Definitions:

Ano: excuse me

Hanyou: half-breed, a half-demon/half-human mix

Inu: dog, dog demon

Kitsune: fox demon

Ningen: human

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	4. Pieces of Home

**A/N**: This chapter is a bit longer than the rest. Each one has been longer than the last, so I don't know if this tendency will continue or if they will shorten back off after this one. Eh, it's all good. Just a warning anyhow.

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Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.

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**Chapter 4: Pieces of Home/Daddy Dearest**

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At first Kagome found working in the fields quite a chore. Sango, even pregnant, was still in better shape. After all, she did have to lug hiraikotsu around everywhere, not to mention dragging Miroku from a few places of ill repute after knocking him on the head. Now though she actually enjoyed the work, not the least because it was finally getting her some more muscle. More than that she just enjoyed being able to be out in the free air, feeling the sun shine down on her face, feeling the soft breeze blow her hair, being able to smell the sweet scent of the sakura blossoms – and yes, even the rice and dirt itself.

She even began to enjoy the fact that she could catch a glimpse of Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye, perched in a large tree. She always found this quite puzzling and amusing – him loving trees so much while being an Inu. It'd seem more fitting for a Neko youkai.

Nonetheless, he was typically the only non-human around them whey they were out in the fields. There were other workers, of course, but the youkai themselves did not seem so fond of socializing with ningen. She knew there were other youkai close by though, she could feel their auras. Probably just another guard against any escape attempt made. They sure were fierce about protecting their little village secret.

Still, she wondered why Inuyasha was chosen to be the one who had to interact with the humans. Shippo had said it was something about him being a hanyou, but Kagome didn't understand what that had to do with anything. He was quite the mystery to her, but something she was terribly glad of because it gave her something to ponder and keep herself from getting too bored. He certainly was an…_interesting_ personality. He was harsh and rude as all get out, but there seemed to be something else to him – something she couldn't quite figure out. She looked up at him and shrugged. Since she typically loved puzzles so much she thought she would go insane here without them, but here she had the grandest one she'd ever come into contact with laid out right in front of her.

"Oi, wench! What'ya staring at? Get back to work!" Inuyasha groused from 'his' tree. Kagome bent back over to do her work, squelching her sudden desire to throw a large clod of dirt at the hanyou. She was just beginning to contemplate what the possible consequences would be if she gave into the childish desire when she heard a shrill voice…

"KAAAGOOMMEEEE!"

She turned to see a petite figure running toward her. She squinted, using her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sun. She still couldn't tell who it was. The figure was nearly right in front of her now.

"Yumi!" she cried incredulously. Starting off at a run she wrapped Yumi in a giant hug, the two of them hurtling down from the force of it into the rice paddies at their feet. Kagome could swear that from over her shoulder she heard a "Feh" of disgust – or was it curiosity? - coming from a tree, but she just ignored it.

"Yumi," she cried, pulling her friend to her feet, "you're alive! And here! When you disappeared all those months ago we searched for weeks, but finally gave you up as dead!"

Yumi grimaced. Seeing the tears dripping down Kagome's face she hugged her again. "Well, now you know my secret," she laughed darkly.

"Seems like Sango and I butted in on your disappearing act too."

"What? Sango's here too? What about Miroku?" asked a shocked Yumi. She'd been taken aback just finding one friend here, let alone two or three.

"No," sadly replied Kagome. "Miroku was at the shrine while we were out. I'm sure he has no idea what has happened to Sango and I."

"Oh my…poor Sango. Poor Miroku!"

"Yeah, Sango's taking it pretty hard. Especially with being pregnant and all…"

"Pregnant!" exclaimed an indignant Yumi. "She's pregnant and they're split up! How arrogant can these--"

"Hey Yumi!" interjected Kagome, glancing at Inuyasha's tree. "Why don't you tell me what happened to you and what you've been doing since you got here?"

Yumi thankfully picked up on Kagome's quick change of subject and she herself glanced around them. "Well, I was out practicing my archery with old Kaede, but she can be so dull! Drilling, discipline, practice, ugh! So I just wanted to have some fun. I spotted a wild boar in the bushes and took off after it. Kaede called after me, but I just ignored her since I could run faster than her," she said sheepishly. "I just wanted to bring home dinner myself instead of waiting around for Sango or Miroku or one of the other village men to bring it in." Kagome couldn't help but giggle a bit at the younger girl's enthusiasm and naïveté.

"Anyhow, I kept after it for what seemed like hours. I realized that I had just spent my last arrow since I hadn't stopped to pick up any of the ones I missed the boar with. So I decided to return home to deal with Kaede, who I was sure would be furious with me, but I was lost. I had never seen such a place! I just wandered around until I fell asleep and then I woke up here. Ever since I've just been working the fields," she ended. "So what about you and Sango?"

Kagome then retold her and Sango's own adventure, making sure to leave out any reference to her strange miko activity. As she finished, the two just sat there and smiled at each other.

"Well," began Kagome, "we'd better get back to work before either of us gets in trouble." She squeezed Yumi's hand. "I am so glad to see you again Yumi, even though it had to be under these circumstances. It's like you came back from to life! I'm glad to know I have another friend here."

Yumi smiled and squeezed Kagome's hand back. "It's good to see you too Kagome. Take care! I'll see you around!" And with that she was running off back to her own assigned area for work.

Kagome turned, a soft smile on her face. She glanced up at Inuyasha and then continued on in her work, still dazed from a reunion she hadn't thought possible until she herself went to the underworld.

* * *

Inuyasha squirmed in his tree. Why did she keep looking at him? It was like she knew he was eavesdropping but didn't even care. Humans still confused the hell out of him, no matter what anyone else thought. Especially their emotions – such unpredictable things. Youkai didn't go in much for emotion. That's actually one of the reasons he'd been assigned human duty. The other youkai figured he could 'relate' to the humans better being hanyou. But he was only _half_ human after all, and hadn't even really grown up around humans – or not any good ones at least.

He supposed maybe it was easier for humans talk to him though – easier to 'understand' something you hate than something unrecognizable – easier at least than talking to Sesshomaru. Inuyasha snickered at the mental image of ten ningens pouncing on his haughty half-brother, pawing at him with a load of questions.

Still, while the youkai were _somewhat_ respectful of the human life, they still thought it disdainful and dirty to work with them – so that's where his true value really came in. Better for the humans – they weren't as intimidated and could better 'relate' or whatever they called it, better for the youkai – they didn't have to dirty their pretty little hands, but somewhere in the mix he was getting screwed.

He growled again, this time loud enough for Kagome to shoot him a curious glance. He cut off the growl and once again thought about what he'd heard as he'd been eavesdropping on her conversation earlier. _Damn girl_, he thought. _Why do I give a shit what she thinks about and talks about anyhow?_ But the thoughts didn't leave him and he continued his ponderings well into the night.

* * *

Kagome noticed a change in Inuyasha after that. He wasn't around as often and would disappear for hours at a time, but was always back by nightfall. He still had to stand watch outside her and Sango's room every night, but that almost seemed to make him more jittery. She wondered if the noise was what bothered him.

Sango still nightly called out Miroku's name in her sleep. She seemed to have put herself in some type of depression that she was loath to call herself out of.

The one thing that really seemed to help in all this was the orphans, especially Shippo. It was as if he sensed something was wrong with her too. He'd been giving her a lot of extra attention lately, even just riding on her shoulder as she walked around the village or as she worked in the rice paddies. She'd have to stop that work pretty soon though – she was already six months pregnant. Being around the kids more would probably be good for her anyhow. They seemed to give her a sense of reality, a sense of purpose and importance that just wouldn't come through doing fieldwork. She was sure those kids were what kept Sango grounded and she silently thanked Inuyasha for the umpteenth time for giving them that job.

Still, Sango was paler and thinner that Kagome would have liked. She peaked for about a week when she found out about Yumi and got to see her again, but that soon wore out. Kagome was starting to worry about the health of the baby, and had told Sango as much. Sango had just cried. She certainly didn't want to hurt her baby. Aside from the fact that he was now her only tangible link to Miroku, he was _her baby_, and she was fiercely protective of her family.

Kagome knew that Sango was doing the best she could, but her strength was failing. Sango drew in a shaky breath, then let it out softly, Miroku's name ushered out on her thinner than normal lips.

Kagome got up and walked outside. She just couldn't take anymore at the moment. Kami help her, she just felt so helpless! She closed the door behind her and walked a couple steps beyond the room to where she couldn't hear Sango's voice anymore. She knew Inuyasha would be nearby and didn't want to deal with him right now if he had the impression she was trying to escape.

Just beyond the porch she found a moonlit patch of grass and slid to her knees, tears falling in silent streams down her cheeks.

"You're worried about your friend."

Startled, Kagome gasped as she turned around to see Inuyasha revealed standing behind her. _He looks so different out here alone in the middle of the night under the moonlight – almost like a lost little boy_…

"Hai," she whispered shakily, willing herself to not cry, to not show her weakness to the hanyou in front of her. But the dam of tears continued to overflow, it wouldn't be quenched yet. _Besides_, she thought,_ why should I care if he thinks I'm weak? Why should I care what he thinks of me at all?_

He made a movement toward her but then stopped abruptly. "Your friend will be okay. She has a warrior's spirit. Do not worry." Then with a flash of moonlight reflected on silver hair he was gone.

As her tears ebbed, her strength was exhausted and she returned to her futon and fell into a deep sleep next to the friend she cared for so much.

* * *

A loud banging on the door woke Kagome in the morning, and she looked over to see Sango also stirring in her sleep. The knocking persisted and if anything seemed to grow louder despite the fact that the sun was just rising. Kagome rose to slide the door open, only to be brushed aside by a nervous hanyou carrying the semi-conscious form of a man. She couldn't get a good glimpse of the man due to the light streaming in, and then her view was blocked by Inuyasha's back.

Inuyasha set the man down on the empty futon. As he stood back up to his full height she tore her eyes from him as she heard Sango gasp. Her eyes finally adjusting to the change in light she realized who lay now next to Sango: it was Miroku!

Kagome quickly sent Inuyasha a questioning, piercing gaze. He shifted under her eyes. "Why?" she whispered.

Fidgeting, he mumbled, "No child should have to grow up without a father." With that he brushed past her again and was gone.

Tears filling her eyes, from Miroku's presence or Inuyasha's actions, she didn't know which, she made her way over to the futon where an unbelieving Sango was cradling Miroku's face. She began to trace all the features of his face with her fingers, whispering to Kagome, "It's been so long I worried I would forget what he looked like."

Sango's voice seemed to be an anchor for him, for at that moment Miroku's eyes fluttered open and he grabbed her hand, placing a long kiss on her palm. Sango began to sob uncontrollably, burying her face in his chest, holding onto him as if she feared he would disappear again. Miroku, for his part, didn't mind this at all. He wrapped his arms around his darling wife, holder her as tight as he could, breathing in deeply the scent of her hair and breathing out promises to protect her and never leave her side again.

Kagome wanted to give them their privacy, but after a moment she just couldn't help it anymore. Sobbing herself, she jumped on top of the two; smothering them in the biggest bear hug she had ever given anyone in her life. Finally coming back to the reality of it all once all the tears had been cried, Sango broke away and sat up, Miroku and Kagome likewise following suit.

"Miroku," she choked, still catching her breath, "how…how are you here? How did you make it to the youkai village?"

"Hmm...the youkai village you say? Well, I think that explains a bit more, especially why it was impossible to find word of you two. That leaves me with quite a few questions, but I suppose I owe you an explanation first," he said smiling, rubbing the back of his head.

**_flashback_**

When Sango hadn't come back that night Miroku had been worried. At least Kagome was with her. If either got hurt the other would be there to heal and protect the other. Still, it was getting dark out. He decided he couldn't wait any longer and set out to find his wife, unborn child, and friend.

He stayed out all night. The only hint of their presence he ever got was a sudden flux in miko energy, but other than that the night was quiet. After not finding anything he was sending himself into a frenzy, until he thought that maybe while he had been out the girls had made it back to the village. This in mind he ran back as fast as his legs could carry him.

Arriving there he found that no one had come back, and there was no news to be heard. Exhausted, both physically and emotionally, he laid down in his hut. He only allowed himself about two hours of sleep and thirty minutes of meditation to focus his senses before he set off again. He kept up the same regiment every day for the next week, spending all day and night searching, coming back to the village to see if there was any news and to sleep for a couple hours.

After a week though, he knew. Sango and Kagome were in a situation where they could not return to the village on their own. He knew he had to go and find them, to save them if he could, and if not then to die trying to find his beloved wife. With that he bid farewell to the village, telling them he would not return until he had found Sango. He was sorry to leave them both without miko and without monk, but he knew he had to go. Besides, they still had Kaede and some others they had been training. But nothing was as important to him as finding Sango.

He took a few precautions and rations of food and set off. He traveled from village to village, asking for any news of them, still finding none. After a while though he started to hear strange rumors of someone who had come looking for him. He figured he had to be dreaming that up though. He had been on the road for almost three months now, and his energy was drying up and his spirit was on the brink of breaking. Yet he continued trudging on into the forest. He would not stop until his body did.

Inuyasha sat in a tree looking at this man. Not even that, he was a pale, thing, gaunt form of one. He sighed. _Humans have to be the strangest creatures ever. Why Sango would fall in love with a bouzo like this I have no idea._ With that he dropped out of the tree, landing square in front of Miroku.

Miroku gasped at the creature that had appeared in front of him, but not before taking a step back and falling into his usual defensive position. He stared ahead, not quite sure what he was seeing. _He certainly must be a demon from his jyaki, but it's slightly different, otherwise I should have been able to notice it earlier, even in this state. Still, why are his ears on top of his head instead of on the sides? I have never seen a youkai with these particular traits before…_

"What is it with you humans and staring! Knock it off will ya!" Inuyasha cut himself off with a growl. "Are you Miroku?"

Miroku narrowed his eyes. "What kind of trick is thi--"

"Shut up!" He growled again. "Just answer the damn question."

Mirkou warily looked over Inuyasha's form and then answered a hesitant "yes."

"Good," said Inuyasha, looking very self-satisfied. "I know where Sango is," he said simply.

Miorku instantly forgot all of his fear, dropping his arms and rushing to the demon in front of him. "Sango!" he cried. "You know where she is? So she is alive! I knew it!" He glanced at Inuyasha. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take me to her!"

Inuyasha growled. And he thought he was impatient! "You don't understand yet. There are certain…rules to it. If I take you to her you will lose all freedom. You will never be allowed to return to this place again, and you can't go back to your village to get your stuff or say goodbye. If we do this, we do it now."

"But I will get to be with Sango?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

Inuyasha blinked at him. "That's it? No questions? No hesitation? Your life will change forever."

"I have no life if I am not near my Sango." Miroku urged again, "Let's go."

"Okay then. Brace yourself."

"For wha--?" The last thing Miroku saw before the darkness took him was Inuyasha's fist coming toward his face.

**_end flashback_**

"Wow," was all Sango could say.

Kagome laughed. "Well, at least that explains the black eye you're sporting."

"Yes, it certainly does," added Sango as she gingerly reached up to stroke the dark spot underneath Miroku's eye.

_Uh oh, _thought Kagome. "Well," she cleared her throat. "I think I have some work I can do somewhere or something like that, yeah," and she got up to leave.

Miroku and Sango smiled up at her. "Thank you, Kagome-chan," said Sango, not just for leaving them alone. She didn't know why, but she felt that Kagome had something to do with Miroku's appearance.

"Maybe I'll just have to go find Inuyasha and thank him for all of us. See you guys later!"

"Much later!" she heard Miroku call out as she slid the door shut. She chuckled. Miroku was back to his old self already it seemed. She hoped Sango would heal just as quickly.

* * *

Inuyasha sat in the top-most part of a tree nearby. He wanted to be close enough to hear what was going on. He was still the job anyway – that and his curiosity would drive him nuts if he didn't know. But he kept himself hidden, especially when Kagome walked by the tree looking for him. He didn't know what he would say when he saw them again, whether they would be sad or angry or happy…_Damn it! Why did I give a shit what the ningen think anyway! _He hit the tree in his anger, causing the leaves to scatter. _We got another worker out of it_, he rationalized to himself, _that's what matters._

He was so caught up in his own thoughts he hadn't noticed Kagome turn around at the sound of the rustling leaves. She was right under the tree now, looking up at him. "Inuyasha?" she questioned.

The sound of her voice, being the last thing he expected at the moment, threw off his balance and he crashed out of the tree, face first into the dirt. He lay there stunned for a moment, not sure what to do in his embarrassment and anger. Anger won out.

"What the hell did you do that for, bitch!" he yelled at her as soon as his mouth was free from its gravel entrapment.

"I got something to say to you and you were hiding from me! It's not my fault you have lousy balance." She made an indignant 'hmph' and stalked right up to him. "Now listen here-"

Her words were cut off as Inuyasha quickly clamped his hand over her mouth, his other arm grabbing her shoulder and turning his back to him so that he could pull her against him and keep her from somehow squirming her mouth free from his grasp. "Shhh!" he whispered into her hear.

Kagome's mind was racing. How dare he grab her like this! After all, she was only coming to thank him. Ungrateful jerk! If he didn't get his hands off her and quick she would…come to think of it she didn't know what she would do. She wouldn't want to hurt him, and it wasn't all _that_ bad. There were worse places she could think of to be. Her mind was starting to get a little fuzzy when suddenly Inuyasha bent toward her ear again.

"Are you stupid or something? Can't you sense all the jyaki around? These demons wouldn't be very happy if they saw you talking to a superior like this. Don't give me those surprised eyes, yes I'm only a hanyou but I'm still your superior. They'd skin you alive wench." He growled at her to give some emphasis and she felt her whole body shaking.

Before she knew it Inuyasha had changed his hold on her and now had his arm under her legs instead. Suddenly she realized he was carrying her and they were flying through the air! _Okay, so it's not exactly flying, _she thought, _but I'm sure it's the closest I'll ever get and it sure is good enough for me!_ She stretched out her arms and giggled softly, making sure to keep relatively quiet since she still had no clue why Inuyasha was doing this or where he was taking her.

All too soon he was setting her down again. Glancing up at him, she could swear that his was tinged slightly red. "Sorry I weigh so much," she said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He looked genuinely perplexed.

Suddenly the ground became very interesting to Kagome, especially that little pebble she kept pushing around with the tip of her foot. "You had to carry me all this way…"

"Are you kidding me?" he almost yelled at her incredulously. "I'm still half-youkai. You're as light as a feather to me." Then, just to demonstrate, he lifted her up in his arms again, throwing her up into the air just to catch her at the last second. He set her down on her feet again but was still holding her close to him. "And you doubted me," he gloated down at her.

When he saw her turning red he suddenly realized just how close he _was_ holding her. He quickly pushed her away and then gruffly added, "So what was it you wanted wench?"

"Look, okay." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Why is it you call me wench or bitch all the time? Just leave out the terms, whatever reason you may have for it. My name is Kagome, okay? Got it? Thank you. So can you please just call me that, at least when we don't have to worry about other youkai thinking me being too 'upstart' around my 'superior,'" she added sarcastically, then looked up at him with what he could swear were puppy dog eyes.

"Feh, fine," he replied as he turned half-away, arms folded on his chest.

"So why did you bring me all the way out here anyhow?" She turned around, noticing they were out in the rice fields, underneath the one large tree out there, the one that he sat in all the time.

"Because you said you had something to tell me, wen—uh Kagome," he corrected himself when she raised her eyebrow and glared at him. "This way we won't get interrupted." When she shot him yet another glance, this one surprised and almost awed he amended himself. "Hey, what are you looking at me like that for?" From how cornered he felt he almost started backing up waving his hands in front of him. He coughed, "I just meant that you never seem to be able to do much of anything quietly and the other youkai would soon get annoyed with you."

She sighed irritably. _So this is how it's gonna be I suppose_, Kagome thought to herself. _He just can't let himself show too much_, she added sadly, wondering what had happened to him to make him this way. She shook her head, noticing as she did that other workers had started to make their way out onto the field.

"Yes, there is something I want to tell you," she said, startling him yet again with the huge smile she gave him. "Even though you try and make yourself appear all tough and mean, I can see you have a big heart underneath, otherwise why would you care if Sango was depressed, or if Miroku and she would ever see each other again?" Inuyasha glared at her but remained silent.

She moved a slight step closer toward him. "But mostly," she whispered, tears starting to slide down her cheeks, "I wanted to say 'thank you' so much for what you did. I could never say it enough. Thank you." She furiously wiped at the tears on her cheeks then flashed him one last smile before turning to begin her work for the day, leaving a stunned silent hanyou in her wake.

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Definitions:

Bouzo: crude term for a lower level monk

Hai: yes

Neko: cat, cat demon

Ningen: human

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	5. Rice and Beans

**A/N:** Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! The internet's been down for a week. Shorter than I'd like it to be, but I just need to get something up! Lame, I know, but that's my life.

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Inu-Kaglover: thanx so much for your encouragement, great to have you around, and good to know someone's kicking my butt so I keep myself updating! Haha.

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Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.

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**Chapter 5: Rice and Beans**

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Kagome was right. 

With Miroku there Sango had been making a speedy recovery. Her skin was returning to its normal color and she was beginning to get that pregnant glow again. She was gaining weight and looking healthier for her now 7 month pregnancy.

But most importantly, the sparkle was back in her eye.

Sango had always been very sensitive to losing those close to her – not surprising after losing her entire family and village to a youkai attack.

Kagome shuddered to think what would have happened if her village had not taken Sango in. She wouldn't have her best friend, her surrogate sister. Miroku never would have been tamed and settled down…Sango brought a lot together.

She had almost been broken by being separated from her soul mate, but now that Miroku was back she had a new lease on life and she was certainly taking advantage of it. She threw herself into loving Miroku and the kids in the orphanage.

There was one little girl, especially, who Sango had become very close with. Kirara, a neko youkai, had been very quiet and withdrawn previously, even around the other children.

Kagome thought she vaguely resembled Sango in that respect

But she and Kirara had formed a special bond now, and the young girl was beginning to open up. She was even tentative friends with Kagome, Shippo, and Miroku. It was impossible to see Sango around now without Kirara following around behind her.

Even Inuyasha was giving a grudging respect to the ningen woman who was so strong. The two seemed to have some kind of understanding now.

Inuyasha even often turned a blind eye when Miroku left his spot in the fields to work by his wife in the orphanage. She was far enough along in her pregnancy that she wasn't allowed to work in the fields anymore.

Kagome swore she had seen Inuyasha get in trouble for it, but he didn't seem to care and just kept allowing it anyhow.

Still, Kagome couldn't be quite sure. She definitely got a strong feeling about it and what was going on, which seemed to happen quite often with things regarding Inuyasha.

Still, when youkai spoke with him they spoke in the youkai language.

That was something Kagome had been unprepared for. She knew that each type of youkai had their own language with which they could talk to their own pack, but the village seemed to have formed a new dialect out of necessity, one that incorporated bits and pieces of all the pack languages represented here.

So basically Kagome couldn't understand a bloody thing the youkai said when they talked to each other.

She was one of those that just so hated being out of the loop, but what could she do about it here?

She sighed and looked back down at her lap. Currently she was sitting with Yumi and Shippo sorting and husking the rice.

Shippo of course didn't have to work being so young, but he hung on Kagome wherever she went – the little guy sure was attached! But he'd gotten so fidgety just sitting there and wanted to help Kagome that he started working too.

At that moment Shippo decided to shove some of the rice into his mouth. The little kit was always hungry! But he'd forgotten about the fact that it wasn't cooked.

Kagome looked down as his face started to turn red and had to stifle her laughter. She picked Shippo up and patted him on the back as he sputtered and turned an ever brighter shade of embarrassed red realizing Kagome had noticed his mistake as well.

As soon as the tyke was alright Kagome set him down, but not before cuddling him in a tight hug. Kagome knew she should be mad at him, but she just couldn't help it – he was so danged cute!

Looking at him she had to push down her giggling once again – she couldn't embarrass Shippo like that. Thankfully at that moment a voice cut through.

"Shippo? Oh, Shippo, there you are! Come on now – lunch!" cried a large lizard youkai.

One of the neighboring youkai moms made lunch for the orphans once a week. It was a great pick me up for the kids.

Kagome shook her head. It never ceased to amaze her. In the animal world, and even in the youkai world outside of this place, lizard and fox were always enemies. But this village sure did take care of its own.

Shippo quickly scampered off toward the lizard-youkai mom and turned around to shoot Kagome a swift smile and a wave goodbye.

Kagome held her breath until Shippo was just out of sight and then let go in peals of laughter. Yumi looked at her like she'd just lost her mind, but Kagome just quieted down to intermittent giggles.

She was just soooooo glad that Inuyasha hadn't been around. He would've made fun of Shippo, who would've turned around and mocked Inuyasha right back. She really didn't know what it was with those two. She was just glad she didn't have to break up a fight today.

Yumi's words jerked Kagome out of her musings.

"Your little furball friend just ruined half the rice we husked! Now we have to do it all again, and you're laughing!" she said with a 'hmph'.

"I'm sorry Yumi; I didn't know it upset you that much. But Shippo is just a kid still. It's not like he _meant_ to mess up anything," defended Kagome.

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that? No wait – don't tell me – it's because you're friends, right? Is that it?"

Kagome nodded.

"Well wake up Kagome!" snapped Yumi. "The youkai don't care about us. They use us as laborers, that's all! They must have a few of them act nice to keep our spirits up just enough so we don't kill ourselves or spill their precious secret. And what's so precious about it anyhow? Are there any safe human villages? No! We have – had – to worry about youkai attacks all the time, so what makes them so special that they get to be safe?"

Kagome stared at her friend wide-eyed. She didn't know what to say. "Yu…Yumi…" she stammered. "I've never heard you talk like this before."

Yumi turned to Kagome, as if she'd momentarily forgotten she was there. She smiled wistfully. "Hey, I'm just sick of this place sometimes, that's all. But don't worry about it Kagome, I'm fine. I was just venting."

Kagome didn't know what else to say so she just walked over to Yumi and gave her a fierce hug. "It's all going to be alright Yumi – especially while we all have each other. Speaking of which, I'm gonna go check on Sango real quick and see how she's doing. She's independent enough that I hope Miroku's doting and lechery aren't too much right now!"

Kagome laughed a good laugh and Yumi even giggled too, all the uneasiness of the previous moment forgotten.

* * *

Kagome headed out toward Sango and Miroku's room. _Yes, they had separate rooms now that Miroku was here, for propriety's sake. Kagome did want to sleep after all!_ As Kagome got closer she heard screaming. She recognized Sango's voice and bolted toward the sound, her heart racing a mile a minute. 

Her anxiety kicked into full gear. _What's happening to her? Is she in pain? Is anyone with her? Why did I leave her! _

Rounding the corner Kagome saw a large hectic group moving around behind the screen to Sango's room, but her view was quickly blocked off as she ran into Inuyasha's chest. He grabbed both of her wrists as she struggled to get around him.

"Let me go!" she screamed at him. "I have to get to Sango!"

"No can do," he stated simply.

Kagome winced as Sango let out another horrific scream.

She knew he easily overpowered her, but she didn't care. She continued to fight against him with all her might anyhow. "What are they doing to her!" she yelled, her panic turning to anger. "I have to help her!"

It was Inuyasha's turn to be angry now. "What do you mean 'doing to her' bitch? They're helping her – she's giving birth!"

Kagome immediately stopped struggling as his words sunk in. "Giving birth?" she whispered, smiling as tiny tears started to trickle down her face. "Wait," she said stronger, "giving birth! But she can't do that – she's still only 7 months pregnant!"

"Well apparently this is what happens to ningens who don't take care of themselves while they are pregnant," he snapped at her.

"But Miroku came back…she's getting better…"

"Too little, too late," Inuyasha replied.

At this Kagome started her struggle again in full. "So why are you still holding me! Let me go see Sango!"

Inuyasha tightened his grip on Kagome's wrists. "You are not allowed to go in _there_. Too much commotion, bad things could happen. Besides, there's too many people in there as it is. You'd just be in the way."

"But I can help!" Kagome cried. "In case you don't remember, Sango's human and human births can be very dangerous, especially premature ones!"

He growled deeply at her, lowering his face precariously close to hers. "I do remember. Don't _you_ forget who _you're_ talking to wench. My mother was human, and she survived my birth." He glared at her angrily a moment longer and then looked away.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "But all the more reason to let me go in! Your mother may have been stronger than Sango. Sango could have complications – she may need healing."

"Your point?" he questioned.

"I'm a mik--" Kagome's voice was cut off as Inuyasha's hand firmly clasped over her mouth. The feral growl he emitted convinced Kagome not to fight him at the moment.

In one rapid, blurred movement Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and bounded into her room. He slammed the door shut and dropped her down on her futon. She turned to glare at him for his unceremonious treatment of her but was met with a look much more fierce than her own.

They stayed like that a moment, their silence etched against all the noise and commotion coming from the next room that echoed like a dull roar in their ears.

Suddenly Kagome noticed that Inuyasha was dangerously close. "Bitch, you really want to die, don't you?" he whispered, the fierceness never leaving his voice.

She continued to glare at him. "Of course I don't want to die, baka!"

His hand was firmly against her mouth again, effectively preventing her from speaking. "Then stop being so stupid," he said directly into her ear, receiving yet another vicious look from her. Inuyasha was glad he still had her mouth covered as she was obviously trying to state her comeback.

"Shhhh!" he hissed, shaking her gently. "First of all, have you lost all sense? There's a horde of youkai in the next room. The only reason we can even whisper right now is hoping they're too occupied with helping and moving Sango to listen closely to us. But it's still taking a chance. Second, you must really have a death wish girl to say aloud what you were just about to say. These youkai would eat you alive if they knew what you were – and you know it."

He paused to pull back from her hear and look her in the face. "So if I move my hand will you be quiet now?"

She nodded shakily, nervous at hose close he was to her right now.

He slowly removed his hand from her mouth but didn't back away at all, waiting for her to speak. The thing was, with Inuyasha so close Kagome was suddenly finding that difficult, her mouth felt like cotton. Finally she sputtered, "So…so what about Sango?"

"What do you mean 'What about Sango?' Were you listening to what I just said? What about you?"

"What about me?" Kagome replied. Probably not the time or the place to talk about it, besides I don't really care. No – wait," she interjected at the look on Inuyasha's face, "I mean I care, thank you for your help really and I will be more careful, but I'm just more worried about Sango right now. I mean, that is what started this whole thing after all, right?"

"Okay, okay," he said. "They're moving her to the birthing chamber. And you--" he added as Kagome started to get up "—are staying right here." He gently but firmly pushed down on her shoulder to keep her seated on the futon.

Kagome sighted, frustrated, running her fingers through her hair. She dazed off and wondered if Inuyasha's hair would feel the same in her fingers, or if it would be rougher like dog fur. She quickly had to resist the temptation to reach out and find out for herself. Little did she know that Inuyasha was having to fight the exact same urge at the moment.

Kagome spoke, as if just to distract herself from her thoughts. "Fine," she said, "I'll stay here."

Inuyasha looked up at her surprised. He hadn't expected her to give in. Actually, he thought he'd have to guard her closely all day. He quirked an eye at her, an annoying, but not entirely unpleasant thought.

Quickly shaking his head to clear it, he stood to leave but felt a sudden resistance. Looking down he saw Kagome tugging on the sleeves of his red haori.

"Just one question before you go," she said. _Now just how to phrase this_, she thought sardonically.

"Why did you stop me from saying – well, why did you help me? Why would you care?"

Inuyasha looked down at her stricken. He couldn't believe she'd be so bold as to ask that. Didn't she know that most _normal_ people never openly addressed these things? How the hell was he supposed to answer! Especially when he wasn't even sure what the answer was?

"I'd get in trouble for letting you live as long as I already have," he blurted out. He inwardly flinched. _Get in trouble? Fuck that._ Like he'd care. Hell, if he couldn't buy that line himself he didn't have much of a chance of her buying it, which he could tell she didn't from the look she gave him.

"So then why have you let me live this long?" she questioned him right back.

"Feh, you're a clutz. It'd be pointless to die for your own stupidity," he spit out without thinking about it.

Kagome was crestfallen. He pitied her? He didn't think she could take care of herself competently? As she saw Inuyasha turn to walk away she got angry at herself as she could feel the beginning of tears welling up in her eyes. Why should she care if he pitied her? Why could it make her this upset?

While she was stewing in her own thoughts, the questions pouring out of her, Inuyasha was left with only one thought racing through his own mind.

As he left, the disheartened look on her face clearly pressed on his mind, he kept repeating to himself "Baka…baka…baka…baka…baka…"

* * *


	6. Hello and Goodbye

Disclaimer: Do not own it.

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**Chapter 6: Hello…and…Goodbye**

* * *

Kagome had guessed correctly. Sango certainly had complications during labor, not the least of them being a hovering Miroku who tried to help and only ended up getting in the way - especially when all the blood started coming out of Sango and he fainted. Yes, the proud monk, slayer of youkai, had fainted. Right on top of Sango's leg no less and had had to be carried out by one of the larger youkai in the birthing chamber. And that is why they often did not allow the father's in. Men are all about blood and gore, but give them screaming women and placenta and they're goners.

The labor had been long and tedious for all involved. Sango had been in labor for the next day and a half, despite that her baby was far undersized being eight weeks early. Inuyasha had stopped by Kagome's room a couple separate times to make sure she was staying put. He also wanted to make sure she was okay, but not like he would admit that out loud to anyone, if he even admitted it to himself. She was pretty much under house arrest until Sango had delivered, but she also wanted to stay there so that she would be easy to find if anything went wrong or when good news came.

The news finally came early this morning, two days later. Miroku himself came to tell Kagome all about it. The baby had been breach, coming out backwards (Kagome had to keep herself from making a joke at Miroku's expense here), but in this case the baby being premature and smaller actually made it easier to get him out like this. Still, it was long and Sango had lost a lot of blood and was still resting up from it. She would likely be on bed rest for the entire week, but now she and the baby were doing fine.

"In fact Kagome," Miroku said, "Sango and I are waiting until you can join us to name him."

Kagome was absolutely flabbergasted. This was such an honor. Normally this is something that only involves the parents, and even then more so the man that the woman. The father just picks a suitable name and the wife shows her agreement to it, usually whether she likes it or not. Miroku though, was quite a conundrum. He could be a lecher, but then was more forward about things like women's lib than any other man she had met. She was sure he had either talked over the naming with Sango or would pick something that he knew she would love, and now he was asking her to be part of it too.

Miroku saw her starting to tear up and sighed as he started to push her out of the door. "Come on Kagome, no need to get all mushy on me here or anything. They agreed you could come with me right now as long as Inuyasha comes with us."

Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha standing under the large tree just outside her door, arms crossed in his typical pose. She shook her head, smiling at him slightly.

She remembered that this was where they had talked that one moonlit night when she had been crying for Sango. Inuyasha had told her to not worry about Sango, saying that Sango was strong. The next morning he had walked in with Miroku in his arms.

She couldn't help but see something in him that he tried to hide from the world. She had been upset at what he had said to her those two days earlier, but truth was she could see where he was coming from. She was a clutz, and she would have gotten herself killed already if it hadn't been for him. Regardless of what he said his reasons were, the fact was that he _had_ protected her - but not just her, her friends also. He had a big heart, she just wondered why he hid so much of it.

_Well, not like he'll ever tell anyone, especially not me_, she thought exasperated. Miroku pulled on her arm, bringing her out of her thoughts. She was surprised to see they were already in the birthing chamber, where Sango and the baby were being kept for the next week. There were two youkai mid-wife types in the room also, taking care of this and that, but Kagome was also pretty sure were there at the moment to make sure nothing happened with the three of them 'dangerous' ningens.

She almost laughed at the thought, but stopped cold when she saw Sango on her futon holding her son. The boy was so tiny! Kagome crept closer and knelt down by Sango, who in turn held her son out to Kagome. Kagome was used to children, but the older ones in the orphanage. Even in the village she'd never seen a baby this small. His head was dwarfed by her hand! She looked down at this precious bundle and smiled, silently promising herself that she would help protect him at all costs.

With one last coo she handed the boy back to his mother, then glanced back at the two still standing in the doorway. Miroku looked like he was filled with what Kagome could only term fatherly pride, but Inuyasha had her puzzled. He seemed to have a battle of emotions going on just underneath the exterior, his mask slipping away from time to time allowing her to get the tiniest glimpse of him. For the life of her she couldn't tell what it was. When she looked up at him as she was handing Sango back her son, Inuyasha's eyes had been glued onto the young child and the women's hands, as if their handling of him was the most sensational thing in the world. Then for a moment he continually glanced between Kagome and Sango, of course trying to not be obvious about it. There was something brewing deep inside him, but what it may be Kagome could not guess. Well, at least not at the moment, because Miroku was calling attention for the ceremony to begin.

Although it was termed a ceremony, there wasn't anything particularly rigid about it. Miroku called on the kamis and prayed a prayer of protection and blessing over his son. He had to tread carefully during this prayer, making no indication of evil spirits or youkai since he wouldn't be sure if it would be taken offense or not. So the prayer was a bit shorter than usual. After that he made a mark on the baby's forehead and took a deep breath. "With this, I name you…Kohaku."

Kagome sat stunned, and she could only guess that Sango was the same. She glanced over to her friend to see small tears on her cheeks.

Miroku leaned over and grabbed her face gently with his right hand, sliding his thumb across her cheek to catch the falling tears. "Sango, you come from a long line of fierce and worthy warriors. It is a good thing to remember them for all they did and loved while they were alive. Your brother was very noble, and I would like to honor him with naming our son after him. Please tell me if this is okay, I don't want to hurt you…"

Sango shook her head determinedly, and looked up at her husband while placing a finger to his lips. "It's okay, really. You're right, it is an honor." She looked down at her son. "Kohaku," she whispered.

* * *

Inuyasha kept glancing sidelong at Kagome. As if that weren't enough, he'd been fidgeting the entire time they'd been walking back to the fields. Something about what they had just seen was definitely bothering him and if he wasn't going to ask then she'd just have to find out on her own.

"Well?" she asked him.

"What?" He looked at her like he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"What is it you're wondering about? You're fidgeting and you keep looking at me like you want to ask me something, so just ask me. I saw the way you were in that room, there was definitely something bothering you."

He stopped walking and Kagome did not notice until she was a few steps ahead. She turned around to face him and closed the distance between them until she was just arms length away from him.

"Who was Kohaku?" he asked, looking up at her.

She was surprised at his question. He had been fidgeting in the room long before Kohaku had been mentioned. Whatever else that was bothering him, he obviously didn't want to bring it up right now, so she decided to just let it be. He had to deal with things in his own time.

"Kohaku was Sango's little brother. Sango came from a village of – taijiya – " she glanced up at him to make sure it was okay to continue after just mentioning Sango's entire family made a living of killing youkai. When he just continued looking at her she continued on. "Sango was one of the best slayers in the village, so she had been out on an assignment by herself since she only had to deal with a small demon. While she was gone her father had taken her little brother out on his first hunt, and things turned bad. Both of them had been killed. Some neighboring youkai heard this, and knowing that both Sango and her dad were out of the picture at the moment, they formed a party and raided the village.

"Everyone was killed…women, children…everyone. Sango came back and buried them all, then just started wandering. She was in an extreme state of shock when we found her. Kaede, Miroku, and I were actually the ones who found her. She was walking next to a stream that flows by the village, but she was moving like someone already dead. She didn't respond to us when we called to her and we all but had to drag her to the village. It took days to get her out of the shock, but eventually she came around. She originally lived with me, but then after a while she and Miroku got married, so that's that.

"She's fine most of the time, but still sometimes when her family is mentioned she gets that blank, glazed over look again. I don't think she's ever fully healed from that, but then again I'm not sure I would be able to either. We had worked with her village on occasion, and I had met her little brother. Kohaku was a great kid, he had such a great heart. I'm glad that's the name of Sango and Miroku's son, it's a great legacy to live up to if their son can have the same kind of heart." Kagome finished, realizing that she had dazed off and she was looking somewhere into the trees. She turned back to Inuyasha and saw that he was doing the same thing.

"Ano, Inuyasha, can I ask you something?"

He just continued looking off in the distance and nodded.

"You told me once that I knew nothing about your father…What _did_ happen to your parents?" Kagome half cringed, expecting him to yell at her for asking something that was none of her business. Instead he was just strangely quiet.

"My father was the inu tai-youkai of all the Western Lands. He was the most powerful of all the tai-youkai, but somehow fate was against him. He got slack from both the youkai and the ningen worlds for taking a human mate, but he didn't care. He was still an honorable and powerful youkai. He died protecting my mother and I. Normally that fight would have been nothing for him, as strong as he was, but he had been severely wounded in another battle earlier that night. I never really knew him, but I live by his legacy.

"After he died a bunch of lesser youkai battled over his land and split it up between themselves. Since they were such pathetic losers," he spat, " they were not able to keep the land together and protected, and everything went to shit. A tai-youkai's job is to protect _all_ of the inhabitants of the land, and these vermin raided village after village until all the trade lines were broken up and nothing could get done. That's why we eventually formed this village. My bastard half-brother even asked me to come here so I could deal with the humans."

"What about your mother?" Kagome asked gently.

"My mother…my mother…My mother raised me after my father died, in the ningen villages. Life was never good there, but I was with her so it was okay. But eventually she…she died…from…well…she…"

"It's okay," Kagome said, gently laying her hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to tell me anything, it's fine. I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"I'm sorry for asking you all these questions and making you relive your past. And also for everything that happened to you. I'm not sure all what it was, but it doesn't sound good. No one deserves that," she ended quietly. "Especially not you," she said as a mere breath.

Inuyasha heard it, he just had no clue what it meant. So he followed his typical habit for when he didn't know how to deal with something.

"Feh," he snorted, turning away and starting up again toward the fields. Kagome followed quietly behind him.

* * *

When they got out to the fields Inuyasha left Kagome and jumped up into his tree to stand guard for the day. Kagome shot him one last lingering look and then turned to find Yumi to tell her the joyful news of Kohaku's birth. But try as hard as she might Kagome could not catch sight of Yumi anywhere.

Yumi had been a bit distant lately, even working on her own in a separate part of the field, but Kagome had always been able to see her. Kagome wondered where she could be, but had to turn back to her work. She'd already pressed her luck enough the last couple days and Inuyasha had let her slide by with a lot, so she would just have to wait and find Yumi later.

* * *

Sango was doing well enough now that she was able to accompany Kagome to the orphanage, even though she still couldn't do a large load of work. She enjoyed being around the kids, and the kids certainly liked having the new baby around. Kirara and Shippo hung on that kid like he was the coolest thing since…well…ever. They were the two youngest of the group, so they'd never gotten to have their 'baby,' and now they did which made them very happy.

Kagome and Sango had to keep an eye on Shippo though. He always meant well and did amazingly with Kohaku most of the time, but sometimes he was just a bit too hyperactive to deal with a week and a half old baby. It was so cute to see them all together, almost like a miniature family – an odd kitsune, neko, ningen family.

While Sango had been out of commission the same helpful lizard-youkai mother, Kiru, had offered to help out in the orphanage. Both Kagome and Sango were so grateful. They knew she had her own obligations to fulfill, but Kiru had assured them that she would be alright since she would only be helping out until Sango was back in her own again. And with Sango looking as healthy as she did, it looked like she would be able to start helping out again fully in about another week.

Originally Kagome had wanted to ask Yumi to help out in the orphanage, knowing that she had been a bit down lately, but she had been unable to find her. Actually, since Kohaku's birth she hadn't seen Yumi at all, which was really starting to worry her. Sango had seen her, only once, and had gotten to tell her about Kohaku. Yumi had been very excited and had promised to visit, but hadn't been seen since.

Kagome turned, picking up some more of Shippo's mushrooms that he had thrown around the room trying to amuse Kohaku. Now he and Kirara were chasing each other in circles around the young boy and his mother. Kagome let out an exasperated sigh, but not before giggling at the antics of the two. She grabbed Shippo up into a great big hug and turned around to see no one but Yumi standing before her.

"YUMI!" she squealed, running to her and embracing her in a hug, crushing Shippo in the process.

"Oh, I'm sorry Shippo!" she soothed the poor kitsune. She put him down gently and watched as he scampered back over to Kirara, all eyes in the room now on Kagome and Yumi.

"Yumi, where have you been? We've all been so worried about you!" exclaimed Kagome, grasping her friends hands and she almost fought off tears.

"Kagome," Yumi's eyes roamed around the room, finding nothing to land on until she came to rest on her feet. "I, uh, can we talk?"

"Of course Yumi, we can always talk." Kagome pinned Yumi with a quizzical look.

Yumi glanced suspiciously at Kiru and the rest of the youkai in the room before gently tugging on Kagome's hands that were still resting in her own. Kagome's mouth formed a small 'o' as she understood and followed her friend outside, noticing they were walking toward the rice fields.

A small cluster of children had followed them out of the doors and stopped at the edge of the porch but now were being shooed back inside by Kiru. Sango herself stayed out on the porch, wondering where the pair were going. She clutched Kohaku to herself and gazed after Kagome, wondering if Yumi was really going to be alright. She had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Yumi never looked back, she just continued to drag Kagome forward by her hands, leading her further into the woods that separated the orphanage from the rice fields. Kagome glanced backward, and just as Sango and the orphanage faded from view she felt Yumi come to a spot. She turned to look around her and was amazed at what she saw.

They were in a secluded spot! If she took a few steps one direction she was in view of the orphanage, while a few steps in the other took her in view of the fields. But right where she was she was practically invisible. She hadn't known any place like this existed in the village! Kagome stood dumbfounded, looking to Yumi to see why she had brought her to this place.

Yumi still had her eyes downcast and was trembling slightly, as if afraid of something. Kagome gently put a hand to her shoulder and called to her, "Yumi, are you alright? What did you need to talk about?"

Yumi's eyes caught Kagome's, tears and a strange determination held within. Kagome didn't understand what she was seeing. "I've tried Kagome, I really have."

"Tried what, Yumi? What do you mean?" Kagome was becoming ill at ease at the distress she heard in Yumi's voice.

"I've discovered I don't want to try anymore."

"Yumi…you're scaring me." Kagome's grip on her friend's shoulder became tighter.

"Here Kagome, this is for you." She slipped a small piece of paper into Kagome's hand. "I want you to know something: you are a great friend. You, Sango, and Miroku are amazing people, and I'm sorry if I've made you feel like less. You deserve happiness in any form, and I hope you can find it here. I also want to let you know, there's nothing you could have done to change anything."

"Change what!" Kagome was become frustrated at Yumi's purposeful vagueness. "You've got to tell me what's going on!"

"Bye Kagome," Yumi smiled a bittersweet smile. "Tell Sango bye for me too." With that she turned and made strong determined steps toward the rice fields.

Kagome started after her. "WH--"

"Kagome!" Sango's voice burst into the moment.

Kagome turned to see that Sango had come just into view, but was still a good distance off. She yelled out to her, "Stay there! Something's wrong with Yumi – I'm going after her!" She whirled around again, barely able to spot Yumi, surprisingly far ahead of her already. Kagome started off at a run, but Yumi must have sensed it because she started to run also. Unfortunately for Kagome, she was still in the trees when Yumi hit the fields so she started lagging even further behind from all the obstacles in the way.

Suddenly, as she hit the edge of the forest and was able to see all the fields around her she was what Yumi intended to do. 'No, please Yumi, no. Don't do it.' Kagome almost sunk to her knees, but with a sudden resurgence of strength sprang forward with a blazing speed. "No Yumi, NO!"

It was too late. Yumi knew what she was doing.

Yumi had never stopped running. She had found the closest border to the rice fields and chose that as her target, knowing there would be at least one or two youkai who would come to cut her down at her 'attempted escape.'

Kagome saw the youkai descending in on Yumi and suddenly her world was on edge. Her vision was imbued with a pink tint and she heard sparks of energy flaring off in all directions. She wasn't even able to feel the ground underneath her feet anymore, if it even was under her feet. All her senses were on kilter and she couldn't breathe. The only sense left to her, much to her later dismay, was her hearing. The last thing she heard before the darkness once again took her was a splattering of liquid and then the thump of a soft mass against the mud.

* * *


	7. Sleeping Long and Falling Hard

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, both from and You guys rock. Also, sorry but the internet was down again. I swear, anytime it rains here the internet goes down. You'd think technology would be able to deal with this semi-common phenomena, but what ya gonna do.

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Disclaimer: I had a bid going on ebay, but it fell through. So needless to say, I still do not own the famed Inuyasha.

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**Chapter 7: Sleeping Long and Falling Hard**

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Everything was a blur, color was perceived as sound, sense perceived as light. Kagome felt herself swimming in an awareness that she never fully knew existed, but had always felt on the very edge of her consciousness. She kept swimming up and up, a sense of urgency that she had to get back to…something.

Slowly she opened her eyes, trying to shade them against the bombardment against her senses, only to fail as she realized her hands remained limp at her sides. She thought she had woken up, but maybe she hadn't. She was surrounded by a blanket of warmth and felt as if she were still floating above the earth as if the swimming in her dream had become reality and she could swim through the air. Only her danged arms still wouldn't cooperate!

She tried to move her head slightly so she could see more than the open expanse of sky and the very tops of the highest trees. She was rewarded with seeing only more trees and then some red fabric directly in front of her, still out of focus.

"Kagome," came a deep, inhuman voice. "Go back to sleep."

She felt herself being gently rocked and drifted off into sweet oblivion again.

Inuyasha looked down at the girl he carried in his arms. Honestly, he didn't know why he did the things he did for this girl. She somehow just brought out this side of him.

When he had heard Kagome calling Yumi's name he hadn't given it much thought, since these human females were always yelling at each other, a pitch his sensitive inu ears did not take to very kindly. But something in her tone, a desperation and despondency, caught his attention. He had hopped out of his tree, casually making his way over to the pair when he saw what was happening.

Yumi was running straight for the area of the border that was closest to the rice fields, and therefore the most heavily guarded. The girl had to be an idiot, anyone could see that this was the worst place to run close to the border. Unless she wasn't trying to run _close_ to the border, but through it…but that couldn't be. Anyone could see that one little girl would not outrun or outsneak two youkai guards. Even Yumi would know that. Inuyasha started at that thought. _Of course, the girl has to know it. That means that she's purposely trying to get herself killed!_

Even as he saw the guards closing in on Yumi at the same time that Kagome did, something jerked his attention away from the scene before him. He looked back over to Kagome and saw she was drenched in miko energy. The pink aura was so strong it had literally picked her up off the ground and she was floating semi-conscious with her feet dangling about a foot off the ground.

Inuyasha saw the crackling tendrils of energy starting to spin off, and without thinking about it he had tackled Kagome. He knew that if she killed or even harmed either of the guards she would be done for. As soon as he came in contact with the aura he felt as if he were being ripped in two. His skin felt on fire, and looking down he could actually see the effects on his hands: the skin was turning red and streaking, almost to the point of boiling his blood underneath.

He grit his teeth against the pain as he picked Kagome up from where he had knocked her on the floor. Her normally light weight was making him reel as he struggled against the bombardment against everything in him that was youkai, and he staggered his way toward the nearest pond. He threw Kagome into the pond, getting himself drenched in the act. The water was freezing, but that's what he was counting on.

Kagome's energy started flickering out, heading toward more normal levels. By this time the two guards had come over, one streaked with Yumi's blood. Inuyasha grimaced at the sight and growled as the two moved to come closer to him and Kagome. Satisfied that they would maintain their distance for the moment, Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome who was still surrounded by miko energy that while, not as strong, was still causing serious damage to the hand he was using to hold her in the pond. He was just thankful that the rest of his body was now out of range of her quickly diminishing power.

After another full minute of agony his hand was rewarded by respite when Kagome's power dropped altogether and returned to its latent state, its mistress seeming almost catatonic. Inuyasha panicked for a split second until he saw her breath streaming across the water. Very gently, just as much for his injured body's sake as for hers, he lifted her up into his arms to warm her. He turned to carry her into the village only to come face to face with the two guards. They glared at him quickly but then turned their attention to the unconscious girl he was holding.

The guard already covered in Yumi's blood raised his hand to strike down Kagome in Inuyasha's arms. She had shown herself a miko and capable of doing serious damage, and the punishment for this was death. "We must have no threats!" he had yelled.

Inuyasha only snarled at the guard and grabbed Kagome closer to him. "Lay a finger on her and I will slit your throat with pleasure afterward." He glared at the guard in front of him, making sure to watch every move as he lowered his hand to show he would not strike Kagome in that instant. "You bastard wolf youkai are always too hasty. If you struck her you'd be the next to die. No one is punished without a trial first. You're forgetting your own laws. Now back off before I pound it into your head."

Without another glance backward he started toward the village, pausing only once when he felt Kagome stir in his arms. He rocked her gently, hoping she would remain in her unconscious world just a little bit longer. _Let her sleep, _he thought_, she might not like what the world holds for her when she wakes up.

* * *

_

Kagome woke up in her room, her head reeling. She felt like Miroku after he'd drunk too much sake or been beaten up by Sango, or maybe both. She moaned, putting her hands to her forehead and gently lowering her head back down to the futon.

Glancing around her, Kagome was surprised to find herself in her own room. She didn't remember getting there at all. She was mildly astonished at the quiet blanketing the space, her mind being as hectic a blur as it was. She looked around, hoping to see Sango and instead her eyes came to land on the crouching form of Inuyasha who was staring straight back at her. She pushed herself up onto her arms so she could look at him better, then stayed stock still as confusing racked her body. Finally her mind remembered what happened just before she blacked out and she had to fight to not let her body drop automatically back onto the futon.

She forced herself to a more upright sitting position, finding herself weak from the effort. She continued to take her breath in deep pants and focused on a single thread in the futon beneath her in order to maintain her sanctity of mind and not scream out at the top of her lungs. Not only did she figure the youkai wouldn't like that, but she didn't want to turn poor Inuyasha deaf.

Speaking of which, why was she alive anyhow? Her eyes narrowed on Inuyasha, who still hadn't made a single move since she'd awoken. She tried to speak but found her throat too parched to make a sound. Inuyasha sighed at the croaking sound, his eyes leaving hers for a brief second to motion to something to her left. Kagome looked down and next to her futon was a little bowl of water along with a little bowl of rice. She reached out to grab the water and greedily poured it down her throat, relishing the way it lubricated her vocal chords free from the prison they'd been in. If only she could be free of her prison or flow away like the water…she knew there was no hope in that though. Death would be her only release now. She spared a brief glance for the bowl of rice, and although she was exhausted and knew she needed to replenish her strength, her previous thoughts were making food wholly unappealing.

Kagome looked back up at Inuyasha, who remained patiently in the same position he had been since before she awoke. "Where's Yumi?" she choked out, trying to prevent the sobs that threatened to ravage her body.

"Miroku and Sango insisted, so her…remains…were buried this morning." Seeing her face he didn't have the heart to tell her that the wolf youkai guard had been a little too good at his job and it had taken the better part of a half hour to make sure they had gathered _all_ of Yumi's remains. "Miroku performed the ceremony. You should be glad for that at least, she was the first ningen to get the proper burial rites performed here, since this is the first time there has been a houshi here. And no," he added when he saw the look of concern rising on her face, "don't worry about Miroku's houshi status being out in the open. First of all he and Sango were the only ones at the ceremony, and the rest of the youkai won't see him as a threat as long as he has no ofudas. No, you're the only one with _internal_ power that requires nothing else to act on it."

"But…but how did they bury her this morning when I saw her…die…this afternoon?" Kagome was slowly losing her battle against the oncoming tears as a couple slid from her eyes.

"You didn't see it this afternoon Kagome, you saw it yesterday. You've been unconscious since then."

"Yesterday," she whispered incredulously to herself. Suddenly she jumped up, remembering, "The note! Oh no, what happened to the note that Yumi gave me!"

She almost lost herself into hysterics and wouldn't calm down and stop searching until Inuyasha placed a hand on each of her shoulders and pushed her down to a sitting position.

"Stay still" he commanded.

His face was solemn enough that she complied, even though not understanding. The tears continued to flow down her cheeks of their own accord and she wiped at them furiously, determined not to appear so weak in front of Inuyasha, or at least not while she was with him face to face.

After Inuyasha was satisfied that Kagome would remain as she was he continued on. "I got to read the note that she gave to you before it was taken by the youkai council and given to Sesshoumaru. Be glad that she made that note though, as it prevented anyone from trying to kill you in your sleep."

"Stop this!" she demanded, her hands going to the sides of her head and covering her ears. "I don't care about that! I just don't understand any of this! Why would Yumi try to escape, she had to have known she couldn't do it" Kagome was really beginning to lose the battle against the strong tide of emotions.

"Kagome, think. You know she couldn't have been trying to escape. Yumi knew she couldn't make it. It was suicide. That's what the note said."

"Suicide?" Kagome choked out, just before collapsing on the floor as sobs took control of her body. "Why Yumi, why?" she whispered to her friend that was no longer there.

"Kagome-" said Inuyasha, the urgency in his voice betraying him. "You can't do this right now. You can't be making this much noise or they will…well, you don't want to know what?"

Kagome just curled up tighter into a ball and whispered between her tears, barely loud enough for even his hanyou ears to hear, "Why? I don't understand? Why can't I even grieve for my friend."

Since her sobs hadn't gotten any softer he gruffly grabbed her by the shoulder again and shook her until she looked at him. "Because you are a threat now and they fear you. For you, it is better not to alert an enemy to your presence. If they hear you being loud they will fear what you may be doing. You can grieve, but grieve _quietly._" He hissed for emphasis. With that he got up and took his post back by the door, looking away from her to give her the privacy he thought she needed.

Only a short moment of relative quiet had gone by when Kagome spoke up again. (Hey, someone can only grieve so quietly.) "Inuyasha?" she queried softly.

He acknowledged her with a slight turn of his head. "Please, will you just hold me?"

Inuyasha spun around to stare at her with molten eyes full of unease. "You're your guard."

"Please, I know you probably don't want to, and even you too see me as a threat, but I don't care." She sniffed and wiped her sleeve across her nose. "I just need someone to hold me. My friend is gone, she _killed herself_ for kami sake, and I have no one else right now. You're all I have in here, and I just…I just…" she hiccupped and succumbed to her silent sobs again as her throat constricted too much to allow her to speak comfortably.

Kagome turned over, never having felt more alone in all her life. She laid there in her little ball, oblivious to the rest of the world until she felt something stir the futon beneath her. All of a sudden she found herself scooped up in a strong pair of harms and felt herself being lowered into Inuyasha's lap. She forced her eyes open to look up at him, his eyes surprisingly calm despite the slight grumbling that came from his lips. Then to his slight shock she actually smiled at him. In the midst of her blubbering she calmed herself enough to say a simple "thank you" before she buried her face into his chest, her hands crumpled up in the material of his fire rat haori.

Inuyasha just held her there. He wasn't quite sure what to do, but he remembered a time his mom had held him similarly to this. Reluctantly he allowed himself to relax into the position and gently began to stroke Kagome's hair with his right hand while holding her back with his left. As he continued he felt her begin to calm in his arms and the convulsions in her body eventually ceased, although the tears never did. It actually slightly amazed him the amount of water the human body was able to hold and how much emotion it was able to show, for this ningen at least.

He was just beginning to get comfortable in the position when he sensed a change in the jyaki surrounding Kagome's room. He quickly slid her off his lap, motioning to her to remain quiet as he himself went to the door. He opened the door and was not surprised at all when he saw standing before him none other than his own half-brother, Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha barely contained the growl that was pressing the back of his throat. He knew why Sesshoumaru had come here.

For his part Sesshoumaru had to hold back his own smirk as he allowed his gaze to land on the wet marks on the front of Inuyasha's haori. Inuyasha followed the trail of Sesshoumaru's eyes, and seeing the tear-marks from the miko there for his half-brother to see and smell pushed him immediately on the defensive.

"Kuso! Just what the hell do you want Sesshoumaru! Spit it out and be done with it!" Inuyasha yelled, getting all the more frustrated at his half-brother's smug, arrogant face.

Sesshoumaru only allowed the barest of smiles to grace his face, knowing it would infuriate the hanyou. He was tempted to make a snide joke about Inuyasha and the miko, but felt it would not only impugn his honor but that of the miko as well. He returned his face to its normally stoic façade and proceeded with his business.

"Her trial is tomorrow. Make sure she is ready." Not one for spending unnecessary words, Sesshoumaru only looked over Inuyasha's shoulder at Kagome for a moment before then turning to leave.

Inuyasha watched him as he walked off. The grace with which he carried himself belied the weight on the Taiyoukai's shoulders for caring for an entire province and also this last vestige of safety for some of the struggling youkai. As much as he hated the situation and, admittedly, how much he hated his brother sometimes, he understood the need for Kagome to be on trial tomorrow. He didn't like it, and hell if he wouldn't do anything and everything to keep her safe, even though he wasn't sure why.

He looked behind him to see that Kagome was staring up at him with curiosity shining in her eyes. Even in times like this her innocence shone through and amazed him in its purity and simplicity. He sighed as he shut the door and lowered himself down beside her again.

Her eyes never left him even though he was sure she knew he had bad news for her. He was in awe at how she did not let fear control her. He could smell it on her, but she was facing it head on. _Nothing like impending death to make you realize how much you admire and respect someone_, mused Inuyasha satirically. Kami, he hated to be the to give her this news.

"Kagome, you go on trial tomorrow morning." He waited in silence to see how she would react to this piece of news. He was astonished but not surprised to see that she just nodded her head slowly in acceptance of her fate.

She responded quietly. "I know, they need to protect themselves from any kind of threat…from me. I understand."

"You understand!" intoned Inuyasha, angered at her willing acceptance of an undeserved death. "What is it you think you understand! Can you honestly tell me you think you are a threat here? 'Cause that's not what I've seen. You haven't hurt anyone, and even with that purifying wave you were only acting in defense of a friend. Threat my ass…"

"Inuyasha," Kagome started as she gingerly picked up one of his hands, "I did hurt someone. Did you think I didn't notice this?" She put his hand up in front of his face and tentatively traced the burn lines across it. "It must have been a pretty bad burn for the marks to still be here two days later."

As much as Inuyasha actually enjoyed the feel of her hand stroking his he quickly jerked away from her. "And how do you know how I got these burns? Why would you think you had anything to do with it?"

"Because," she said, still surprisingly calm, "I saw you. It took me a while to piece it all back together and it's still not all there, but I remember waking up and you were carrying me in your arms. More than that, when you were holding me just now I got a flashback of right before I passed out, when you were holding me back trying to get my powers to die down. I know what you did to stop me, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." A single tear fell from her eye but then she suddenly perked up and smiled at him. "But thank you for stopping what could have happened, from keeping me from hurting those two guards. I don't know what I would have done had anything happened to them…"

Inuyasha was just staring at the small girl in front of him wide eyes. Had she actually just apologized to him for something she couldn't control, and then thanked him for pushing her into freezing water? Did she really care enough about life, about _youkai_ life that she didn't want to hurt even the guards that killed Yumi? Kagome was surprise after surprise, something he wasn't sure he would ever be able to figure out if given a whole lifetime, let alone the one night that was left to her here on this earth.

So many thoughts racing in his head Inuyasha didn't know what to say to her. He took his trademark position, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, head turned slightly away. "Feh."

Kagome smiled and shook her head at him. This was Inuyasha if nothing else. She crawled next to Inuyasha and sat next to him, propping her head against his shoulder and stifling a yawn reminding her how tired she still was from the drain on her energy. She had no sooner said "Goodnight" to the confused hanyou next to her than she was asleep.

Inuyasha looked down at the exhausted girl, carefully pulling his arm up from behind her back to drape loosely around her shoulder to keep her from slumping forward sometime during the night. She truly was a strange creature. "Goodnight, Kagome," he whispered into her hair as he placed a mere whisper of a kiss on the crown of her head, then falling into his own light sleep.

* * *


	8. Musagai

**A/N:** Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the reviewers. you guys rock. you too. I know there's been some issues with leaving reviews on mm, so we'll just believe that to be the reason behind the lack of reviews…ahem ;)

I had no idea this story was going to be nearly this long, so you guys are my motivation for keeping going. But do not worry, I will never abandon this story – one of my greatest pet peeves. I have the whole thing worked out, but am lacking some small but important details here and there and my muse seems to have left me. So I will work as far as I can and then just figure that stuff out when I get to it.

Evilteddybear: yes that last chappy did end a bit more quietly, but I guess we can think of it as the calm before the storm. Things will be exploding soon, though it may take a while to see it all.

Eric3D2B: yeah, I haven't seen a hidden youkai village before or any situation where it was the ningens starting to get their control over Japan, as we see they must do by the modern era. (Only extreme AU where it's one holds the other in _complete_ slavery.) There are going to be a couple other things coming up that _I_ haven't seen done before, more motivation for getting this things done, but we'll just have to see what you guys think.

Elementalobsession, NordicaVB, and Black Betty: Thank you so much for the reviews! I am glad you guys are enjoying and I hope I can keep updating quick enough for you guys.

* * *

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Geez, you'd think people would've figured it out by now…

* * *

**Chapter 8: Musagai**

* * *

Kagome woke up when she felt someone gently shaking her shoulders. She looked up to see Inuyasha's serious face. "C'mon Kagome, it's time to go." His words brought reality rushing back to her and her pleasant dreams from the previous night were forgotten.

She groaned as she dragged herself up off the floor. "Well, I guess we may as well get this over with," she mumbled.

Inuyasha was already waiting for her by the door, for once not acting like an impatient puppy. He was prepared to give her all the time she needed, but seeing as Kagome was drawing in a deep breath he figured she was ready. Inuyasha was half-way out the door when Kagome tugged him gently on the elbow of his haori. He looked confusedly at the miko behind him.

"Ano, Inuyasha," she began hesitantly, "but I want to tell you something first." Her timid look immediately became more determined. "I just wanted to thank you."

Inuyasha's eyebrows immediately went up in surprise at this.

"I know I kinda said this last nite, but thank you again, for everything that you've done. And more than that…I know you're my guard and all and that it's your job to be around us, and me, but…you've done more than that. I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you for being my friend."

Inuyasha was so caught off guard by this last statement that his eyebrows were now nearly in his hairline. He quickly recovered and took his normal arms-crossed pose. "Feh. I don't have friends," he retorted.

"Well you do today," Kagome replied, putting her hands on her hips. "Or at least for a couple more hours," she joked.

"How can you joke about this!" Inuyasha roared at her. "Don't do that!"

Kagome was not backing down. She yelled back at him, "Tell me another way to deal with it other than humor and I'll do that instead!"

Inuyasha just stood there blinking dazedly at the girl. Before he knew what he was doing he pulled her to him in a fierce hug. Kagome was caught off guard by his abrupt actions and nearly literally fell into his arms. Her arms were held fast against his chest as was her left cheek and she was showered with the occasional strand of silver hair. At first she was confused by the suddenness of Inuyasha's movement, but as she listened to his heartbeat she let it lull her into a state of unawareness. For this moment everything outside didn't exist and didn't matter. She relaxed herself into Inuyasha's arms, only pulling herself out of her dazed state when she felt him begin to stir beneath her.

Gently he pulled away from her and wiped her hair out of her face. She had been glad for the covering because it concealed her most likely very red face, but as she looked up at Inuyasha she saw that his face was the same, and she gave him a wistful smile. "I hate to say it Kagome, but we've got to get going." Kagome simply nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.

Inuyasha moved aside so she could move out the door first and he could follow her from a couple feet behind, acting out his 'guard' duty to make sure she wouldn't run.

Kagome allowed herself one last long glance backward at her hanyou friend as the two walked silently toward Kagome's doom.

* * *

"It's not fair!" wailed an angry Shippo to the entire youkai court.

Inuyasha winced as the kit's voice increased in pitch, assaulting his ears. For once he didn't mind though; it served his brother and the others right, and maybe it would get their attention enough to _really_ listen to what the young kitsune had to say. Inuyasha had to choke back a smile at the scene before him, a child youkai standing to the defense of a ningen, railing against his elders – to their faces!

Shippo had somehow finagled his way to be a character witness by claiming Kagome as family. Kagome still didn't know _how_ Shippo had gotten the right to speak to the court, and Inuyasha was surprised the kit had come up with it on his own. Sesshomaru had been surprised too. In fact, so much so that he had cornered Inuyasha that morning as soon as he and Kagome had arrived in the courtroom, asking I the whole thing had been Inuyasha's idea. As much as he would've loved to take credit for the brilliant act, Inuyasha told his brother that he hadn't known anything about it.

The look on Sesshomaru's face was priceless. Inuyasha thought Shippo's efforts were worth it all just for that, if nothing else. Well, of course he _hoped_ Kagome would be set free. He still didn't see much chance of it, but he did hope it. Why he did he still didn't understand though.

He glanced aside to the miko seated next to him and saw an almost horrified look marring her face. He followed her gaze to the kit standing in front of them and realized he'd tuned out the last few minutes of debate and therefore quickly snapped his attention back to the moment at hand.

"Kit," Sesshomaru was saying, "I realize that you have some…affection…for the miko--"

"Affection! No, I love her. She's my new mama now!" Exclaimed Shippo with determination.

Kagome's astonished gasp ran in Inuyasha's ears.

"Please," Shippo begged, "I lost my okaa-san once. Don't take my second one from me too!"

"Enough!" Sesshomaru barely spoke above his normal timbre, but the seriousness to his voice made more impact than had he shouted at the top of his voice. Calmly he closed his eyes and his right hand made his way to his temple, messaging it gently as if to erase the evidence of strain that had made its way public in his last statement. The entire courtroom waited on baited breath while he sat in deep thought, almost pensive had anyone been able to see past the well-maintained façade.

Finally Sesshomaru spoke. "Inuyasha, come forward."

Inuyasha's ears perked forward at the sound of his own name being called. This was not something he expected. Kagome's head spun to stare at him in confusion, as did everyone else in the courtroom. No one knew why Sesshomaru would call on the miko's guard to testify in the case, especially when he was a hanyou who was usually relegated to the edges of society. Unfortunately Inuyasha thought he had an idea of where his brother might be going with this and he dreaded the notion.

Slowly he stood to take his place, his eyes not leaving Kagome's the entire time, trying to give her some semblance of reassurance now that he would not be by her side. He knew he would have to be very careful of what he would say; Sesshomaru was very crafty in his own right.

He turned to his right, away from Kagome and toward Sesshomaru, and walked to the open space up front. He carried with him an air of nobility that left many wondering if this was the same hanyou they saw romping in the fields day to day with the ningens.

Shippo took Inuyasha's approach as his sign to leave the floor and he quickly scurried over to where Sango and Miroku were sitting along one wall. He would have run over to Kagome to give her a quick hug first, but a new youkai guard had taken over Inuyasha's post, and he did not seem the very forgiving type. So he settled for a quick wave, a small smile, and the comfort of Sango's arms as she grabbed the kit in a tight hug meant just as much for her comfort as for his.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha stood staring at his brother and it was though the two were waging a silent war, eye-to-eye, until finally Inuyasha decided he was sick of the games.

"Why do you call on me Sesshomaru?" The absence of the formal –sama on the end of Sesshomaru's name was almost shocking in the setting, but no one spoke up seeing as Inuyasha was his brother, although only half-brother. It was obvious Inuyasha meant to get down to business.

"Inuyasha," began Sesshomaru gravely, "would you hold out your hands for the court to see."

"Kuso!" Inuyasha muttered under his breath as he complied. He most definitely knew where that bastard was going with this, and there was little he could do to stop it.

Those closest to him had the best view and they were the first to gasp as they noticed the hideous burn marks running all the way down his arms. None of them still knew what this meant though. Sesshomaru was quick to enlighten them.

"These marks were caused by the miko's power when she went over the edge. Inuyasha, in order to prevent her from causing harm to the two youkai guards nearby, tackled her and got her into one of the paddies of water, thereby ending her 'episode.' In doing so Inuyasha was swept up in the miko's power field and was exposed to strong currents of her energy that burned his skin. That was two days ago."

This brought a murmur from a crowd. First it was surprising that the hanyou had risked himself to help the situation, although it wasn't clear if his intention was to help the guards or the miko. Secondly, Inuyasha's youkai blood should have healed him more than his hands were showing. In two days he should have been good as new again. This meant that either the burns had been severe enough to begin with that they were near fatal, or that there was something special in the miko's energy that the youkai blood found hard to fight.

Sesshomaru picked up the thread of whisperings around the room and picked up there. "Yes, Inuyasha's youkai blood should have healed him nearly completely by now. While his burns were worse immediately following the ordeal, they were not to the fatal proportions they would have been had he been full-youkai. In this he is at an advantage in that his human blood actually saved his life. However, he is healing slower than normal so there is something about the miko energy that is rejecting the youkai healing power and is causing him to heal slightly closer to a normal ningen rate.

"What is most disturbing about this though is that Inuyasha was trying to help the miko. Whether it was his intention to help her or the guards does not matter, it only matters that he was trying to prevent her from taking life. I think that we can agree that while Kagome is in her full awareness she is somewhat of a caring individual, as is evidenced by her work in the orphanage and by Shippo's testimony. However, it is not those times that we must worry about. Even if Kagome were completely trustworthy and were to swear by every sacred oath under the heavens that she would not intentionally use her miko powers, there is the chance of it happening unintentionally again like it just did.

"Will there be someone there every time to stop her?" Here Inuyasha saw Sesshomaru send him a rather piercing look, but he wasn't sure what it was for. "When she is not under her own control she is a danger to all those around her. She showed no care for life and no discrimination between those she viewed as enemy and those trying to help her.

"For this she is a threat beyond anything. She has phenomenal powers and no means of control, enough that could destroy a large part of this village if not properly dealt with." He sent Inuyasha another glance. "Since my first priority is to protect this village from _any_ menace that means I must get rid of this threat in any way possible. Unfortunately, since _at the moment_ my only means to do so is this, I must invoke the death penalty."

There were gasps heard across the room along with a few self-satisfied grunts. A small group of the youkai still did not like that they had ningens living among them, and others simply saw the miko as a threat. However the majority of the youkai, although they could see Sesshomaru's reasoning and the need that drove him to such drastic measures, still held the miko in their hearts. She had befriended many of them and took care of their children. She gave herself to this community and it was shocking and sad to see her ripped out of it.

Shippo's wailing could be heard above the din of everything else and Sango had to hold onto him with a death grip to keep him from running at Sesshomaru. Kagome called out to the kit but in his frantic state he didn't even hear her. She looked to Sesshomaru for permission and at his slight nod she ran to the kitsune and grabbed him out of Sango's arms. Shippo clung to Kagome like she was his lifeline as he sobbed into her chest. Kagome did the best she could to choke back her own tears, not wanting to upset the little boy anymore than he already was. She would be strong, if only for him.

When Inuyasha had told her about her possible death sentence she hadn't thought about how hard it would be to leave Shippo. She didn't even notice when it was he had become like a son to her. She sat there gently stroking his head, at a complete loss of words. What could you say at a time like that? Miroku and Sango came up on either side of Kagome and wrapped her in a large hug until they were all together in one tightly knit little sobbing unit. The tears were running down Sango's face, but in her lifetime she had learned to cry quietly. Even the houshi had tears falling out of his eyes, something no one in that room had ever seen before.

Inuyasha stood at the front dazed for a moment. He couldn't believe what he had just heard his brother say. Death? Kagome would be sentenced to death? The words rang in his ears over and over, mocking him as he stood there as a testament that sealed Kagome's fate. Damn his brother, why had he brought him up here. Damn the bastard! _Since _at the moment_ my only means to do so…the death penalty. Wait_, why had he said "at the moment"? Sesshomaru had said it softly enough that Inuyasha, even with his inu hearing, could only barely hear it and he was standing right in front of him, so there was no chance anyone else in the room had heard it, not even the wolf youkai since they were standing in the back. What the hell was his brother doing with that baited phrase and his stupid little glances. Was there something he was missing?

He looked over at Kagome, or at least what he thought was Kagome – he could barely tell by all her 'surrogate family' hovering around her. He wanted to go over to her, to tell her what she meant to him, but for some reason his feet wouldn't move from the spot he was standing in. _FUUUCK!_ He yelled in his head. _Fucking feet won't move, fucking brother, fucking situation, fucking village, fucking…everything. Just fuck it all! _Still he stood as if dazed, none of his thoughts evident on his face and his body still refusing to move forward.

Slowly Kagome made her way out of the huddle of people around her. Gently she lifted Shippo up and gave him a kiss on the top of the head before handing him back to Sango. "Sango and Miroku are going to be your new family now. They'll take good care of you." Before she could give in to more tears or let the kit argue her she quickly turned to Sango and Miroku giving each of them one last hug. (Miroku, aside from being happily married now also understood the gravity of the situation, so the hand was at rest.) "You two are going to be happy together and live a good long life with lots of kids, okay? Who knows, maybe we'll meet again one day." She gave them one last wistful smile as she wiped the tears off her face and pried herself away from her family.

Turning around she made her way over to Inuyasha. She hadn't expected it would be so hard to say goodbye to him either. A prick of a guard turned friend, and a good friend too. Who would've thought? Kagome stood directly in front of him, the tears streaming down her face again. She gave up trying to stop them. Ironic how the tears made her feel weak when the whole reason she was to be killed is because they feared her too powerful, enough so that she couldn't control herself. She looked up into Inuyasha's face and to her everlasting surprise she actually saw a single tear running down his left cheek. With her right hand she reached up and gently brushed it away. "I think we've said all we can say. But again, thank you…" She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him the barest of kisses on his cheek where the tear had been, a mere whisper of her lips against his skin. "…For everything."

With determination in her face she stepped over to Sesshomaru. "I'm ready," she said.

_No, this can't be it, _thought Inuyasha. _She's too good to go. There has to be something I can do! At this point I'd die for this stupid wench, kami knows why. But that wouldn't fucking do anything right now! _

Kagome knelt down in front of Sesshomaru and pulled her hair to the side, revealing her neck to him.

_What the hell was Sesshomaru hinting at…what other option, what other means could there be? 'Will there be someone there every time to stop her?' '…If not properly dealt with.' '…at the moment my only means.' _

Sesshomaru released his whip as it came appearing from nowhere and formed on the end of his fingers.

_Damn it, he was a fighter, not a mind reader! He was used to the heat of battle, self-sacrifice, all that kind of stuff. Wait, self-sacrifice, that's it! He couldn't sacrifice his life, but he could do that, couldn't he? But what would Kagome think, would she be able to live with the consequences?_

Sesshomaru raised his arm above Kagome's head. He was looking at Inuyasha.

_No time, no time! Have to do it now! _"WAIT!" bellowed Inuyasha. Commanded was more like it. The air of nobility he was carrying earlier had only magnified and he now seemed regal standing in front of them all.

Sesshomaru paused but did not lower his hand – not yet – that would all depend on what his brother said, if he had a legitimate claim.

"I invoke the right of Musagai," demanded Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru still would not lower his hand and Inuyasha held his breath as he waited to see what would be the outcome of his request. Inuyasha knew this all hinged on the other youkai in the room accepting his claim on youkai blood and youkai privilege. As much as he wanted to spin around and see what the room's reaction was and to stare down those who weren't being…cooperative, he knew that he must stand tall and straight and not show any signs of doubt. He had to prove to them and show them the royal blood that flowed in his veins.

Sesshomaru took his time to stare at each individual youkai in the room to gauge their reactions. While some looked disgruntled, most notably the wolf-youkai in the back, most of the youkai looked either apathetic or surprisingly in favor of Inuyasha's youkai claim.

Inuyasha had to fight every instinct he had against turning around to face the bastard wolf-youkai guard behind him. He could feel the fleabag's stare on his back, the unspoken challenge lying beneath. All he could do at the moment was pray to the kamis that the wolf would not act on the challenge. The two hated each other and fought every chance they got, but that was on more of a personal level and Inuyasha hoped he would leave it at that.

Sesshomaru did not miss the look in the guard's eyes and called him on it. "Do you wish to challenge Inuyasha's claim on the Musagai?" he asked in the guttural tones of the youkai language.

The wolf hadn't expected to be called out like that, but he knew what he had to do. He looked back and forth between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, his eyes finally coming to rest on the small miko. She was still kneeling patiently under her captor's waiting whip that carried her death on its end. She wasn't even looking around the room; she was just waiting there. The guard let out a soft growl as he turned back to Sesshomaru. "If anyone here has the right to challenge it is you since he his your half-brother and it is your father's blood he defiles. However, since you accept this so will I."

Sesshomaru showed the barest hint of a smile, visible only to his brother. Sesshomaru changed to traditional Japanese for this simple phrase to show all present what had come to pass. "Very well, Inuyasha." He added in the youkai language, "Take her, but make sure to use your cabin. I do not want to hear any noise."

Inuyasha nodded curtly at Sesshomaru and turned to the woman who's fate he had just sealed. _Kami, I hope she doesn't hate me…

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**A/N:** Sorry about the ending spot. I had planned to take this chapter further, but some serious crap has gone down with the family meaning I either will not have a chance to write in this at all the next couple days or I will bury myself in it. Since the first is more likely, I wanted to get this up for you guys.

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	9. The Sakura Grove and Lies

A/N: Sorry formatting has been a little off lately, so I haven't been able to read the latest reviews. Hope I'm doing okay with what you guys wrote  Thank you so much to everyone who reviews, it really pays to know there are people who not only read, but actually enjoy

As far as the Musagai goes, I think most people were able to guess what went on there, but any further questions should be answered in this and the next chapter. Any more questions about it after reading this chapter let me know so I can make sure to include it in the next.

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Disclaimer: Yes, I bought him just for this chapter. Muhahahahaha….ok, so I lie?

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**Chapter 9: The Sakura Grove and Lies**

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Inuyasha looked at Kagome. He winced inwardly but outside he showed none of it, remaining calm, collected, and regal. The rest of the court looking on the scene finally saw a family resemblance between the Inuyasha and his stoic half-brother.

"Shippo, do you know what's going on?" whispered Sango as quietly as she could.

"Not really" confessed the confused kitsune. "I know it's something important, but whenever I heard other youkai talking about the Musagai they got quiet when I came around. They told me I was 'still too young to know all of the ways of the youkai'."

Sango didn't feel any better after learning that Shippo was deemed 'too young' to know everything that went on in this ceremony. She glanced around the room at the other youkai to see what she could read in their eyes. Some were looking at Kagome with pity, like they were thinking "poor girl," while others had a mischievous, almost evil glint to their eyes. Sango didn't like either of these reactions and felt her heart plummet into her stomach as she faced back to Kagome, who still hadn't moved from her position kneeling before Sesshomaru.

Even as Sango looked up at the tai-youkai he spoke: "Miko, Inuyasha has just assumed responsibility for you. Your life is in his hands now, just as his life is in yours since he will be punished along with you for any of your future indiscretions. I suggest you act accordingly."

Turning to Inuyasha he said, "You may now leave."

Kagome's head jerked up as she heard Inuyasha's voice. "Kagome, come," was all he said as he turned and walked out of the courtroom.

Kagome was too dumbstruck to act immediately. _What is going on!_ Inuyasha paused and cocked his head just enough to send her a glare while she scrambled up and fell into silent step behind him. She gasped slightly as Inuyasha turned to close the door behind her, leaving just the two of them alone in the hall outside the courtroom.

Inuyasha held her eyes with his for a moment, silently begging her to cooperate, to understand, and mostly to forgive him for what he had just done and was about to do.

Kagome didn't understand why Inuyasha was acting so strange; her head was whirling with so many questions she didn't' know where to start. "Inuyasha, what-". A curt shake of his head cut her off. He leaned into her ear and whispered "not yet."

Kagome sighed. There was no way to get information out of him yet, so she contented herself for now to just follow where he led.

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After fifteen minutes of walking Kagome was starting to get nervous. They'd reached the edge of the forest, but Inuyasha still hadn't said a single thing to her. In fact, he hadn't even acknowledged she was still following him. She was tempted to doubt the fact that she was _really_ supposed to be following him, but she knew that with his senses there was no way he could miss her presence. He'd tell her if she was supposed to leave, wouldn't he?

Kagome was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Inuyasha had stopped in front of her. She bumped into him – hard, lost her balance, and fell clumsily on her butt.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he crouched down next to her. "You should pay more attention where you're going wench."

"Well you shouldn't stop in front of me without any notice," Kagome countered. "Besides, it's not like I don't have enough other things on my mind right now, and--"

Inuyasha growled and placed a hand firmly over her mouth. "Later, not here," he said, surveying the area around them. Kagome angrily glared at him over his arm but remained silent as he slowly removed his hand. He turned on his heels until his back was facing her. "Climb on."

"What!" she spluttered.

"Climb on. C'mon, I don't got all day."

Kagome took a deep breath as she gingerly climbed onto the hanyou's back, arms loosely draped across his shoulders. "You're gonna have to hold on tighter than that if you don't want to fall off," Inuyasha snickered as he grabbed firmly onto Kagome's legs and leaped off into the nearest tree. Kagome immediately had her arms around his neck in a death grip as the two flew through the forest, Kagome flinching into Inuyasha every time her head came close to an overhanging branch.

Inuyasha felt Kagome bury her face into his back. _Oi, what have I gotten myself into? What have I gotten _her_ into? _He felt Kagome tense against him again as he leaped a giant gap between two trees. "Relax Kagome, I'm not going to let you fall."

He immediately felt her loosening up and smirked to himself. Kagome was so trusting, so innocent – _how could he tell her what he had done? What he had made her? How he had demeaned her? That she was now – NO!_

He growled lowly and felt Kagome tense slightly again. He squeezed her legs gently in reassurance.

_No – he couldn't tell her that. He'd just have to lie to her, that's all._ He winced again. He didn't like the idea of lying to Kagome, but it sure beat the alternative. _I'll tell her eventually, besides it's not like I'd actually force her into her role, so what's the difference if she knows the truth about it or not? Yes, that could work_, he smiled. _I'll just have to be really careful around her now._

Inuyasha stopped in the highest branch of a large tree. "We're almost there," he said to the girl on his back.

He turned when he heard nothing but an audible gasp. Kagome was looking around dazedly with an awestruck smile gracing her face. "I've never seen anything like this before," she whispered.

Everywhere she looked there were trees, as far as the eye could see. It was a masterpiece of color against color, dark greens against brown bark and olive green against grey trunks. There were pepperings of bright green bushes and trees laden with ripe red berries, with sweetly singing birds flitting among them. A slight change in the direction of the breeze ticked her nose and she realized there must be a sakura grove nearby. She strained her eyes to see it, disappointed when she couldn't find it until a clawed finger pointed slightly to the right.

"It's over that way." Inuyasha explained. "You can't see the sakura from here though, the trees in front of the grove are too tall."

"Oh," Kagome said smiling. There was still so much to take in she couldn't be caught up in any one thing for too long. She turned her head the other way and marveled at the rich browns and yellows of the fields she could glimpse through the trees. This was such an enchanting place it was hard to believe it was still part of the youkai village. She felt as if she had momentarily stepped into a fairly tale land, but with a flash it was gone.

"Inuyasha?" Could we just stay out here a little while before going wherever it is we're going? I don't know what it is, but when we're speeding through the trees like that I almost feel as if we're flying. I feel…free."

Inuyasha nodded his head, taken aback. It _was_ oddly freeing – that's why he preferred darting through the trees to running on the ground. Now Kagome felt the same thing and had been able to put it into words after just a few minutes.

Suddenly Inuyasha grinned mischievously. _May as well give her what she wants, ne?_ With that thought he tore out of the tree with all his might and Kagome immediately seized up against him again. Her fear didn't last long though and soon she was waving her hands wildly in the air, giggling like the little schoolgirl she never got to be.

Inuyasha turned at her mad antics. "What are you flapping around for, bitch? You wanna fall off!"

Kagome just giggled as she smiled at him. "Silly, you told me you wouldn't let me fall, remember?" But to make him feel better she grabbed lightly onto his shoulders, leaning her head back with her eyes closed, relishing the feel of the intermingled patterns of sun and shale that fell across her eyelids.

Inuyasha cocked his head forward again, fighting the small tinge of blush he felt rising in his cheeks. _She has that much trust and faith in me? Kuso, I sure as hell can't tell her now!_

"Stop, Inuyasha, stop!" Kagome's yelling snapped the hanyou's attention back – so quickly that he almost fell out of the branch they had just landed on. His claws dug into the bark of the tree to keep the two of them from toppling to the ground.

"Grr…quick observation, wench. Number one – you're on my back. Number two – I have super-human hearing. Number three – why the bloody hell were you yelling at me! Trying to make me go deaf!"

"Sorry, I guess I kinda forgot," she smiled lopsidedly.

"Forgot? How can you forget about something right in front of your face!" He twitched his ears for effect.

"I couldn't forget about something so cute…" she started as she reached her right hand out toward one of the dancing little fuzzy appendages.

Inuyasha growled at her movement. "Don't even think about it."

Kagome pulled back her hand and shrugged as she continued, "…I was just too excited."

"Well?" Inuyasha stared at her. "What about?"

"Oh! The sakura grove is right there!" she said, pointing to their right. Inuyasha looked over and sure enough he saw fields of pink behind a single row of dark green trees. He must've followed the scent without even thinking about it.

"Please?" came the voice from behind him. "I promise I won't ask for any other delays after this." As he turned around he had to fight down both the shock and the snicker that fought to show themselves. Kagome had her hands clasped together in front of her under her chin and she was doing a damn good version of 'puppy dog eyes.' Too good in fact.

Inuyasha heaved a sigh and dropped his head slightly. This girl was going to be the death of him…well, better that than he be the death of her. Without any response whatsoever he leaped off the branch and plunged into the grove. For a few minutes he kept going deeper and deeper until they were surrounded by a sea of pink.

When Inuyasha stopped Kagome jumped lightly off his back. A soft breeze picked up, stirring the trees, their flowers falling gracefully in little whirlwinds around Kagome and landing gently in her hair.

Inuyasha watched on as Kagome began to spin, head back and arms outstretched. _She was so full of joy and life – yes, it would've been a crime not to save her, whatever it meant._ _He'd just have to deal with the consequences and do what he could to protect her from the reality of it. Now all he had to do was think up a cover story good enough to convince her…_

They continued on like this in silence. There was something magical about the grove. Time seemed to have no power here, it ebbed and flowed with the wind in one continuous motion, yet would cycle back on itself or wander aimlessly all the same. A sense of peace and health, a oneness permeated the air, so thick that Kagome felt she was drinking it in with every breath she took.

She had it in a flash and with a gasp she turned to Inuyasha. "This is just like the place where Sango and I entered the village, isn't it? What is this place?" she wondered in awe.

Inuyasha breathed in deeply and took his time responding. "Yes, the two are the same. The closest thing I could compare them to for a ningen is a holy site, but it's obviously not since I'm not writhing on the ground in pain. It's more – a glimpse of the world as it should be – a place void of hate, pain, sorrow, loneliness…"

Kagome swore she heard his voice hitch on those last two, especially the latter, but Inuyasha's face revealed none of it. Still, her heart was filled with compassion for the hanyou – his life could not have been easy growing up and the little bit she knew of him confirmed that fact.

As if Inuyasha could feel her eyes on him he lifted his head and cleared his throat. "We should get going."

Kagome slowly nodded her head and quietly came up behind him. This time when he knelt down in front of her she didn't trip, something she was silently grateful for, and she was able to climb on without any hint of fear.

The overwhelming aura of the place slowly trickled away as they drew further from the grove, but the sense of peace remained with them. The two continued on in silence for the few minutes it took to reach their destination. Kagome blinked as she looked up, thinking she was seeing things, some visual after-effect from the sakura grove, but after rubbing her eyes a few times her vision hadn't changed.

She was looking at the biggest tree she had ever seen; the trunk at its base was easily ten feet wide and hardly seemed to taper as it reached toward the sky. It was so tall she had to shade her eyes to see the top of it. Up in the branches, about midway through the tree, she could see a house of sorts built on a perch. She gulped at the sight of it. _It doesn't look very sturdy. What happens if a storm hits?_

"Where are we?" she voiced aloud.

"We're home."

"Hom—whaa!" Kagome was jostled mid-word as Inuyasha sprang from the ground, heading for the tree house.

Kagome's eyes were shut tight as they climbed the dizzying heights, a trip that took much shorter than she expected. She felt Inuyasha stop as they came to rest on something sturdy and slowly peeked an eye open. They were already inside the 'building' and she was surprised at how unused the place seemed. There was a clean futon folded in the back corner of the one room that made up the majority of the house. Other than that one piece of furniture, which Kagome was sure had never been used, there was nothing else for decoration in the room, it was quite barren, but somehow still felt homey.

Inuyasha leaned over to allow Kagome off his back and then walked over the fire pit in the middle of the room. "Inuyasha?" It was as if he was purposely avoiding her by making the fire and trying to look occupied with something else. _Well, fine. If that's the game he's gonna play, then I'll just drag it out of him._

"Inuyasha?" She walked to the other side of the fire. When he kept on ignoring her she picked up the pot of water next to the fire. "Inuyasha, answer me or I'll dump this on the wood. Let's see you get a fire going then!"

"Fine," he groused. "What do you want?"

"What do you think I want? What could I possibly want to know after having my death sentence reversed? Oh yeah, that's it – WHY! What happened? What did you do? What is Musagai? What am I now?"

He clenched his teeth. He could sense both the fear and the anger in her words and knew he'd been caught. There was no way to avoid this any more, he just hoped his story worked.

"Kagome, I…I took responsibility for you. You're mine now, my personal servant." At the look on her face he quickly backed up, waving his hands in front of him as he amended, "No – not like that! You won't be my concubine or anything like that, no! Kami. You're just…mine. I know it's shit to be compared to a possession, but it's the only way I could take full responsibility for you. First of all, if you do anything to break the law you won't be tried, I will, and as a youkai."

"So does that mean if I lose control again that _you_ could die?" she asked quietly, almost frightened of the answer.

"Yes, it does. But that's the point; with me around all the time hopefully you won't be able to lose control. I was able to stop you last time, so it's only logical that I take responsibility to stop you in the future. Besides, I won't have to worry about some stupid court or anything like that because if I can't stop you it'll mean I'm dead." He humphed and crossed his arms across his chest.

Kagome inched closer to him tentatively and softly laid a hand on his arm. "What if my powers get out of control and I'm the one who kills you?" Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

"If that happens then it happens. My job now is to protect you, and I will do that at all costs. So don't worry about it," he said, looking away, afraid of what his eyes might reveal to her.

"I…um…thank you."

"Well don't go thanking me just yet. There's other parts you may not like too much. First off you'll be losing a lot of freedom and-"

"Why?" she whispered.

"Well if you'd listen instead of interrupting me I can tell you why," he snapped. _Is she not buying it?_

"No," she shook her head. "I mean why did you do it? Why would you do that…for me? A ningen?"

Inuyasha sighed and gave in to the desire to look at her. He wouldn't have to lie to her to tell her this part. "Because no one should be punished just for being different…especially if they're born that way and have no choice in the matter."

"Oh, Inuyasha…" Kagome felt her heart breaking again. She'd never realized she had that in common with the hanyou. That was probably where the similarities ended though; while she had good friends and family to grow up around and a village that supported her and sought after her abilities, he had grown up despised not even for _who_ he was, but _what_ he had been born as. It wasn't fair! She didn't care what Inuyasha thought at that point, she just wanted to comfort him, to love him. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, enveloping him in a warm hug. He tentatively returned the hug until he realized what he was doing, and then he pushed her away from him. "You still don't know the down side yet."

_What? Him possibly dying because of her was not the down side? _She might never understand the way he thinks. "Ok, Inuyasha, I give."

He cleared his throat. "Like I was saying, you'll be losing a lot of freedom. You'll be confined to this house most of the time, and anytime you do leave I have to be with you. After a while things will get closer to how they were, but it will take a lot of time and you'll still never be able to go anywhere without me. More immediately, you can't leave the house for the next three weeks."

"Three weeks! I can't go anywhere? Why so long?"

_Because you're supposed to be too sore to move? Oh right, I'm supposed to _not_ be telling you that_, he thought sarcastically. _Kami, this was where he had to tread most carefully, he just hoped she bought it._

"Three weeks because it'll take that long for our scents to commingle enough to signify the completion of the rite. In the possible case that you are found apart from me another youkai must be able to smell me on you and know that you are my servant. That lets him know he's answerable to me for anything he does to you. Also, there will be times when I will be out and you will be here, and there needs to be enough time for our scents to soak in so that it doesn't fade during those hours."

"Ok," she said mulling it over in her head. "So, our…scents…commingle how?"

It took him a second to recover from that. _She bought it? Had she really bought that? Oh kami he was lucky today. Now get her to agree to the rest of it and he was home free!_ This next part was still a bit…tricky though. It would seem very out of place, but he had to continue through with the ritual or the Musagai wouldn't be complete and Kagome wouldn't be safe.

"I have to mark you, to show that you are my…property." He winced slightly at the word, but Kagome smiled to show that she knew he didn't mean it that way. He walked over to where she was still sitting on the floor and drew her up until she was standing only a few inches from him. He pulled her hair into his left hand as his right pulled down the top of her shirt slightly to reveal her shoulder. He grazed his index claw lazily across the juncture between her neck and shoulder, tilting her head away slightly as he did so.

"I have to bit you, right here. That does two things: it gives you my mark and I drink in your blood and your scent seeps into me." He hadn't found a single way to explain the reciprocating mark she would make on him, so he decided she just wouldn't have to do it. It was a youkai tradition anyhow, so with her being ningen it could slip by. Still, she had to drink some of his blood somehow.

"Also, you'll have to ingest a little bit of my blood for you to take on some of my scent." She made a slight grimace at the thought of drinking blood. "Don't worry," he assured her. "It won't be much blood. That's not necessary. I'll just cut my finger." She nodded and Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief.

"To make sure that you scar I'll have to bite you three times, every other day for the next five days. Okay," he breathed in, "you ready?"

Kagome turned her head slightly so she could look him in the eyes. "Yes, I'm ready," she said with determination, then laid her head back the other direction to give him access to her neck. She immediately felt the heat of his breath against her skin and shivered as it sent goose bumps all across her body. He quickly licked the spot, as if to get it ready, and then quicker than she could think he sank his teeth into her flesh.

Her body convulsed in a silent scream. She had known it would hurt, but had no idea it would be this much. The strangest thing was that a small part of her enjoyed it.

After her body had calmed down and she was standing still once again Inuyasha pulled his teeth out of her and began to lave up the blood that was spilling down her shoulder. What began as quick licks, similar to a dog slurping up water, swiftly became long and drawn out, as if he were trying to coax her blood from her skin itself. Kagome shivered again as she felt his tongue travel down to her collarbone and back up again, the heat from his mouth countering the cool air of the night that had fallen outside. This was the most sensual thing she had ever experienced, and it was slowly driving her insane. She had to fight with everything that was in her not to wrap her arms around him and hold him to her. Not meaning to she felt the tiniest of moans escape her lips and immediately felt Inuyasha tense up against her. His licks quickly became short again and all too soon he pulled back from her, face flushed. _Shit, this is gonna be harder than I thought!_

Silently he pulled his left hand back and nicked his index finger against his fang. He held it out in front of Kagome and waited for his breath to even out. "Here Kagome, I know this grosses you out, but you need to take a decent amount of blood from this."

She looked at his finger dubiously but did as he requested. She took his hand in both of hers and brought his finger up to her mouth. One deep breath and she stuck his finger in her mouth. At first she grimaced just from the thought of what she was doing, but slowly she realized that his blood didn't taste that bad. It actually somehow tasted like…him.

Inuyasha was startled at how Kagome had taken his entire finger like that. He was extremely happy that she was not looking at him right now because he wasn't sure he could control what his face was showing. Her tongue was doing a dance across his finger, changing intermittently from licking to sucking. _Oh kami, does she have _any_ idea what she is doing right now?_ His nervousness was becoming too much for him to handle so he gently started tugging back his hand from the bliss she was inflicting on it. _How was he supposed to deal with that two more times?_

"You can sleep on the futon, I've never used it." Kagome blinked her eyes open in confusion. Had she missed something? Why was Inuyasha so grouchy all of a sudden?

Without another word he walked over to the opposite wall where he had good access to the door and sat down against it. He pulled out Tetsusaiga, leaned against it, and shut his eyes in a feigned attempt to sleep. Kagome, afraid she had done something wrong, decided to just let him be. She pulled the futon out and wrapped herself under the blanket that was folded up on top of it. She sent one last glance toward the hanyou, her new…owner? was that the right word?…and wished him a quiet goodnight as she felt sleep take her.

Inuyasha cracked an eye to look at Kagome where she lay sleeping. "Goodnight…mate…"

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	10. Oh to be Home

**A/N:** thank you thank you thank you reviewers. You're the only reason this chappy is being posted right now. It's not where I wanted it to be, I actually wanted much more to happen in this chapter, but it's just not written yet. I'm going out of town for a week and I wanted to post something at least to tide you over with, but be warned that I might be revamping, revising, reposting in the future. Won't happen til I'm done with the story probably though, and we still got a ways to go! Muahahahahaha…

Also, **slight limey warning**. If you have problems, please contact me and I will fix as soon as possible. Thanx!

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Disclaimer: Yes it's mine…all mine! Fine, I'm lying, so sue me! Oh yeah, I guess that's what this whole disclaimer thing is about, huh…

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**Chapter 10: Oh to be Home**

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Kagome awoke the next day to the sun streaming in the doorway through the tree branches. Slowly she sat up and stretched herself, not knowing what to expect for the day. Feeling a little more prepared she turned to Inuyasha to say good morning – well, where Inuyasha had slept. The hanyou was nowhere in sight. She got up and went over to the fire pit; it wasn't even warm. Either he hadn't used it this morning, or he'd been gone for a while and she had _really_ overslept. Either way there was now a fresh bundle of firewood next to the pit that hadn't been there the previous night, which Kagome felt inclined to use. That would wait however, she wasn't really hungry yet. Besides, she wanted to see if Inuyasha was around and to check out the rest of the new house…_her_ new house. She shook her head slightly. This was going to take some getting used to.

Deciding to check outside first she headed out the door. The view that first met her was breathtaking. Through the branches she had a perfectly clear view of a rather large meadow right in front of the tree. There was bright green grass in every available space, not even an earthen path ran through it. The color was only broken every now and then by a bright red or yellow of a small group of flowers. As she continued to scan the horizon she smiled when she could just barely glimpse the edge of the sakura grove. It made her feel a deeper sense of peace just being able to look on the place and she was terribly glad that the house was this close to it.

Turning around she was surprised to see there was a large porch that wrapped around both to the right and the left. Kagome decided to see where the left one would take her and tentatively started off, afraid that the porch/walkway would prove less stable than the house, especially since it had no railing. Kagome laughed to herself. Inuyasha might not need a railing but she sure might, especially if she didn't get rid of this sense of vertigo and quickly. She'd noticed earlier while looking down at the meadow that they were very high up in this tree, but it seemed even more so now that she was climbing in and out among large branches and having to make sure of her footing.

This walkway seemed to have no end. First Kagome had kept her left hand against the house to steady herself, but then the path just _had_ to go and leave the house. The house itself was butted up against the tree trunk but the walkway actually weaved its way behind the trunk and so extended the entire way around the tree. Keeping her hand on the enormous trunk Kagome stopped on the other side of the tree to see what the view was from there. She couldn't see much but she imagined she just saw the tallest points of the youkai village. Sadly she wondered what Sango would be doing. She couldn't believe she wouldn't get to see her or Miroku or Kohaku or Shippo for three whole weeks! Well, better than the alternative she supposed. _Still Sango would be…at work! That's it. That must be where Inuyasha is too! Of course! I wonder how they'll do without me there?_ Oh well, not much she could do about it now.

She continued around the tree and breathed a small sigh of relief when the pathway came back to meet with the house and finally reached the doorway again. She loved the view and being up in the tree, but she had to admit she'd feel safer out there when Inuyasha was here so she wouldn't have to worry about falling. _This place seems so well tailored for him…I wonder if Inuyasha actually built it all?_

Kagome looked down at the meadow once again, longing to go stroll in it, to smell the flowers and feel the sun on her face and the grass under her feet. She looked for a way down but still couldn't find one. She'd been looking on her trip all the way around the tree but had seen nothing. So she really was trapped up in this place. _Yup, Inuyasha had to have built the place_, she thought sullenly, _he's the only one who can come and go from it._ She mentally sighed. _Oh well, guess it's time for lunch._

She headed inside to explore some more. The room was, as she had seen last night, pretty sparse, with only the futon, blanket, and fire pit to speak of. However as she walked the course of the room she realized that one of the shoji screens along the back wall actually moved and showed into another room. As she moved the door aside she saw it was actually a storeroom of sorts, maybe meant partly to be a pantry too. She hoped so because she was hungry. Right on cue her stomach growled. Sure enough the room had two pans, bowls, chopsticks, a large bin of rice, a vat of water, and even some vegetables. Kagome grabbed a bit of each of these, taking a bowl of rice and vegetables and two bowls of water and made her way back out to the fire pit.

Once she had a roaring fire going she dumped one bowl of water into the pan and boiled it before adding her rice and vegetables, then covering it and allowing it to all cook. She took a sip out of her other bowl of water then leaned back against the wall to wait for her food and to think. _So many changes had happened in her life the past year…_

A breeze came in through the door that made Kagome shiver. She could move closer to the fire, but she was comfortable leaning against the wall so she just grabbed her blanket and wrapped it around her. _What is my life going to be like now? I'm 18 now, my goodness I'm old! I guess there's no chance of me marrying and having kids now, I'm beyond my best marriageable years. Well, aside from the fact that there aren't many ningen men in the youkai village…and aside from the fact that I'm now Inuyasha's "property" and I'm not going to be apart from him much and I'm sure he'd have to 'approve' of whatever man I'd marry. Haha, my gosh Inuyasha would be so much worse than an overprotective dad! But I guess I still have my mini family. I have Sango and Miroku, and they're just like brother and sister to me. I have Shippo and the rest of the orphans who desperately need parents. There will be more too, and in three weeks I'll be able to be with them all. I can be their mom and they can be my kids. I guess now I have Inuyasha too…_

Suddenly Kagome smelled burning. "Oh no, the rice!" She didn't realize she was tangled in the blanket so when she got up she spilled her water all over it. "Great, just what I needed!" Leaving that mess for later she ran over to the rice and grabbed it off the fire. Preparing herself for the worst she took off the lid but was surprised to find that it didn't look very burnt at all. At least still edible. So she dumped it all out into her rice bowl and took her time mulling it over in her mouth, just as she was still mulling all her thoughts in her mind.

Once she was done she went back over to her blanket and groaned. It was sopping wet where she'd dumped her bowl on it. She went outside to ring it out and then found she had a dilemma about how to dry it. There was no railing to hang it on and she'd have to jump to reach any branches that would work to hang it on. Aside from that a wind could come and blow the blanket away. She could tie it on, but then it would be all bunched up and wouldn't dry. She decided to just try her luck and throw it up on a branch and hope it would be too far inside the tree and too tangled in the branch to get blown out. With that thought she went back inside to tend to the fire and the dishes.

She spent the rest of the day with such mundane things, trying to keep herself busy and from overanalyzing things too much. Still thoughts continually plagued her head and she ran out of things to do. The sun was still up but she found herself tired from boredom, all the things running through her mind, and the taxing events of the last two days. Going outside to check her blanket she found it was still wet so decided to just go without. Kagome headed inside, unfolded her futon, and soon found herself deep in a pleasant sleep.

As soon as Kagome was fully asleep Inuyasha walked in the door. He'd been back since she started unfolding her futon, but just didn't know what to do, what to say to her, how to act around her. He'd just sat out in one of his favorite branches, hiding well enough that she couldn't see him but so that he could see and smell her. Now that he knew she was out he didn't have to worry about it. On his way in he noticed something dark blue hanging in one of the branches. Going over to investigate he found it to be the blanket Kagome had slept with the night before. It even still smelled like her, though it was wet. Strange that it was still wet, it looked like it had been out here for a while. With the lack of air circulation and the coolness of the day it hadn't been quick to dry. Inuyasha sighed, grabbed the blanket out of the tree, and went inside to lay it out flat next to the fire pit. If it wasn't dry by morning the fire would do it.

He glanced over at Kagome and noticed she was shivering slightly in her sleep. _Stupid ningen, what did she expect if she got her blanket all wet?_ Even as he was thinking this Inuyasha was taking his outer haori off and laid it over Kagome. He smiled as she stopped shivering and cuddled up closer into the fabric that was still warm from his own skin. Seeing there was nothing else to do tonight he silently moved over to his customary spot against the wall and sat down to go to sleep.

Kagome woke up in the middle of night and was confused to see Inuyasha's haori around her. She scanned the room for him and was surprised to see him staring at her. Inuyasha blushed at being caught and quickly looked away, but Kagome just kept looking at him. As if her gaze was drawing him his eyes returned her and the two of them just looked at each other until she had to suppress a small yawn. Finally she smiled weakly at him and whispered "Goodnight," before letting slumber take her once again.

The next day was much the same. This time Kagome woke up just as Inuyasha was walking out the door. She noticed he had his red fire rat haori on again and that she was covered in a now dry blanket. She yawned out a polite "Good morning and bye" just as he was leaving, but his only reply was a "feh" thrown over his right shoulder. Kagome shrugged it off and continued on about her day, only realizing what day it was long after Inuyasha came home as the sun was setting.

When he walked in Kagome already had dinner made and she offered him a bowl which he took without a word and then went over to his customary corner. Kagome looked at him questioningly, wondering why he was acting so coldly, but seeing as his mouth was currently full of rice she'd have to ask him after he was done with supper. She was eating hers a little more slowly, so once Inuyasha was finished he switched back and forth from looking at her nervously to looking out the door with his arms folded across his chest. Once she was done Kagome grabbed her bowl and crossed the room to pick up Inuyasha's bowl to clean them, but Inuyasha grabbed her wrist as she turned away.

"That can wait, wench. I have to…uh…I have to mark you again," he said with a slight blush on his face.

"Oh, that's right. Well, okay then," she said as she pulled her hair away from her neck. She felt a tightening sense of something in her stomach…anticipation? …anxiety?…she wasn't sure what it was, but it was making her nervous. She knew it would be much like last time and still wasn't sure what she thought of it. Still, she braced herself as she felt Inuyasha grabbing onto her shoulders.

She had expected him to bite right in but instead he was caressing the mark with his right hand. The tops of his fingers were brushing against it ever so lightly and then the feel of his hot breath against it raised goosebumps all over her skin again. Once she felt his tongue on her she got lost in confusion and started to relax into him slightly. While his tongue continued on the front side of her shoulder his hand was massaging the back side of it where the top of his mark was and Kagome heaved a delighted sigh and lolled her head even further to the side.

Inuyasha sensed his opportunity and immediately dug his fangs into her. Kagome had to hold back her scream as this bit hurt more than the last time. Although the surprise was taken out of it and she had expected some pain she didn't know it would be this much more due to the scar tissue already formed that his fangs were piercing through. Inuyasha held Kagome firmly as she bucked against him, neither loosening his arms nor his fangs until she was calmed down. Slowly then he extricated his teeth from her shoulder and began to lave up her blood as it dripped down.

Kagome, still breathing heavily but calmed down enough had to ask, "Inuyasha, why did you do all that stuff before biting me? Was that part of the ritual?" It took her a minute to get it all out between pants and trying to get her brain working straight while it was still reeling from the pain, not to mention the distraction of the young hanyou licking at her neck.

Inuyasha took a moment in reply, trying to make sure he got all of the largest droplets of blood first so that it wouldn't seep down and stain her yakuta. "No, it wasn't." He saw another large drop trickle down her arm and paused to slowly lap it up. "When your muscles are tense it hurts you more."

"So you were trying to relax me? To distract me?"

"Yes." He moved behind her to get some blood trailing down her back that had moved beyond his reach. Well not really beyond his reach, but beyond what he could reach in an…appropriate way at the moment.

"Well how did you know it would work!" She was starting to get embarrassed at the fact that he knew he could do that to her.

"It did work," came the muffled voice from behind her. Inuyasha smiled for a moment at Kagome's sputtering and lack of retort, knowing it was safe for him to do so since she couldn't see him. Then he continued his job on her back.

Kagome gave up trying to yell at him and let herself sink into the moment. _Kami, this feels soo good! But why? It's almost like I…_

Her thoughts were broken when she felt his warmth pulling away from her, and she again had to fight the desire to drag him back to her. _Why is this so difficult and this urge so overpowering? I mean…he's my master for goodness sake!_

Suddenly she felt like a bucket of cold water hit her in the face when Inuyasha crossed to the other side of the room, said a simple "goodnight," and looked for all the world like he had fallen asleep. Kagome knew better, the hanyou was too light a sleeper. She got all huffy. So she hadn't been imagining it, he really was giving her the cold shoulder. "You know Inuyasha," she called out to him, knowing he could hear her even though he wasn't responding, "you can try to ignore me all you want, but it's not going to do you any good. We live in the same house now so we're going to be around each other _a lot_, and what's more I won't let you." Leaving her threat lingering she unfolded her futon, grabbed her blanket, and went to sleep.

Inuyasha growled mentally, cracking an eye to peek in on her once she was asleep. He wanted to yell at Kagome, but didn't want to risk getting into a fight with her, not right now. _Doesn't the bitch know better! No, not really, and you know you only have yourself to blame for this. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm the one who screwed up and lied to her about it. But damn it, if she knew _why_ I'm avoiding her…I don't even want to think about what she'd do. Poor girl doesn't deserve that. Besides, she might freak out and have another miko episode on me, and then what would the point of all of this be? Shit, what am I going to do when she won't let me ignore her anymore? I don't think I can handle her up in my face all the time. Damn it baka!_

This time he couldn't help the growl that escaped his lips. He quickly glanced over to Kagome to see if she'd woken up, but seeing no change in her he relaxed a little bit again. Gah, this wasn't helping with her right there. _Can't go growling in the middle of the night now. Guess it's sleeping in the tree branches tonight for me._ With that he headed out the door and into his tree where his thoughts kept him company the rest of the night.

* * *

The next morning Kagome awoke all by herself again. She was getting really annoyed by this. Not only was she a 'people person' and not getting to be around any people, but also the one guy she is supposed to be around all the time keeps avoiding her! Much more of this and she'd go crazy. What was making him try to ignore her anyhow? Especially right after marking her, and the way he'd been toying with her before and even during marking her…

Okay, she had to stop these thoughts quickly before she took herself somewhere she didn't want to go. But why not go there? After all, Inuyasha's pretty dang cute, and he's got a tongue to die for…_ack no! Bad brain, bad brain. He's my master, he saved me out of pity, and I'm a nuisance to him, a weak ningen who he now has to take care of all the time and who invades his private space. Yeah, if that's not a kill joy I don't know what is…_

_But it felt so good!_ said one side of her brain.

_So what? DON'T go there…_said the other side.

The two voices debated non-stop, and as the day dragged on Kagome thought she'd go insane from what it was doing to her. _I'll just have to talk to Inuyasha tonight and figure some of this out…of course, that's considering he'll talk to me…Well, I'll just make him._

_You're gonna talk to him about the marking?_ One voice laughed at her mischievously.

_No! I'm just going to talk to him about the whole ignoring me thing and get that figured out. That will be hard enough, and there's no point talking about the other so just shut up about it!_ Kagome fumed at herself for even thinking such things, but being as she was by herself, her thoughts still mocked her the rest of the day.

* * *

Her fourth night with him Kagome was prepared to make a stand. She knew something was going on that he wasn't telling her, and while she wasn't going to demand the whole and entire truth, she knew she deserved some of it. She was ready to give it to him when he came home that evening, but wasn't prepared for the state he was in when he walked through the door.

Inuyasha walked in and looked like he about wanted to rip someone's head off.

"Inuyasha, are you-"

"Shut up!" he snapped at her.

Immediately he winced. He hadn't meant that to come out, he didn't mean to take out his anger on her. His day had just been shit. There had been harassing before, but nothing was compared to this day. Youkai mocking him for taking a wimpy ningen as a mate – which he noticed they failed to mention the fact that she had just been on trial for being too _powerful. _A few were lecherous enough to ask exactly _how_ he was going to _force_ her when the time came or if he already had – they knew she wouldn't be a willing partner. They asked if ningens were good for sport, or if Kagome was disgusted with him yet. They mocked that he was weak enough to lay his neck out to try and save another, especially a female, especially a ningen female. They asked why a hanyou like him, who was a disgrace in the first place, hadn't chosen to just stay out of the gene pool and therefore keep the blood a little bit cleaner. Of course this was not the majority of the youkai, but it was enough to put Inuyasha in one hell of a shitty mood, mostly regarding the miko in front of him.

He glanced up apologetically at Kagome, half-expecting to see tears forming in her eyes from the way he'd bit her head off. He was surprised instead to see himself matched with a set of angry eyes, fire flaring in the depths of them. "I…" he started

"You…you what?" she threw back at him.

"I didn't mean that, I just had a bad day, that's all," he ended lamely.

"Oh, I see," she started calmly, "you had a bad day." Then she let the anger out in her voice again. "So that explains why you've been ignoring me the past few days also? That explains why I'm stuck in here all by myself with nothing to do? At least you get to leave, even though it may be a bad day. I get to interact with no one, not even the one who's _supposed_ to be around me all the time so that I get his scent. I can't even go down to the meadow right there. If I tried I'd fall and break my neck. Why is it I have to stay _inside_ all day while you get to go out?"

"You're supposed to be…" too sore he thought, blushing he looked away.

"Arg! Why can you never give me a straight answer! What the heck are you hiding all the time?"

"Me?" he questioned. "I'm not hiding."

"Oh yes you are," she countered.

"No I'm not!"

"Shut up – yes you are!"

They glared at each other in a stale mate, knowing they could continue on like two year olds for hours but thinking better of it.

"Then why do you hide your heart all the time?"

Inuyasha stood shocked into silence. He had no clue what to say to that.

Kagome sidled up to him and glared up at him, poking him in the chest to emphasize her point. "You have a big damn heart."

He was surprised and smirked at her use of "strong" language, but still regained enough composure to deny the claim.

"I'm part youkai bitch, I don't have a heart."

"Well you sure could have fooled me. I've never seen anyone do all the things you've done!" she yelled at him, still angry. "You searched out Miroku for months before finding him and bringing him back to Sango. You cared about her, and him, and that Sango's son would not grow up without a father. You have helped me out of trouble more times than I could count, and now you've taken me as your personal servant even though it is obviously causing you embarrassment and making you angry."

He gasped slightly at her last comment. How did she know that?

"Why else would you do all those things? You can't hide it from me, I've seen it too much," she ended softly

Inuyasha didn't know what to say, had no idea how to deal with this. He never expected _anyone_ to say those kinds of things to him, let alone Kagome. So he did what he did best when he didn't know how to handle a situation – he went over to wall, sat down against it, legs crossed and arms folded across his chest in his typical "feh, don't talk to me" pose.

Kagome, however, would not be deterred by such a simple gesture. She walked over until she was standing right in front of him. "Inuyasha, you know you can't hide forever, especially with me being around you all the time now."

"Feh, like you would know anything about it wench. I'm sure you had to hide so much growing up. Damn it, everyone accepts you!" he growled out at her.

She remained stock cold for a moment and Inuyasha thought that maybe she would just let him be.

Kagome's quiet voice broke through the silence. "Give me your outer haori." Her voice, though soft, held a stony determination, a rigidness that he had never heard from her before. He thought to fight her for a second, but then he looked up and saw her face. The resolution in her eyes dampened any thought he had for resistance. He took off the haori and handed it to her.

"Now close your eyes."

He raised an eyebrow at her, but complied nonetheless. His ears heard every rustling of fabric, every breath of cloth rubbing against skin. Much more of this and he thought he was going to go mad! As if living in close quarters with her wasn't enough…

"Okay," she said. "Open your eyes."

He cracked his lids open slowly, wary of what she was doing and what she might show him. He wasn't prepared for what he did see. His eyes were level with her stomach, a mere foot away from her creamy skin. He gasped in shock and looked up at her to see what the hell she was doing.

Her head was bowed, turned away from him slightly, and she refused to look him in the eye. He swept over her form trying to figure out what she was doing. She had slid her robe off her shoulders, tying the sash low on her hips to keep it up. Her only covering on her top was Inuyasha's red fire rat haori, which she clasped with her left hand between her breasts, leaving the rest free-flowing. With her right hand she had pulled back the lower parts of the haori to reveal her stomach, and most prominently her right hip and side, which she was obviously trying to draw attention to.

His surprise finally slackening he focused in on her side and was curios to see a scar. The scar's discoloration wasn't what drew attention since it was almost the exact same color as her skin, but it was the length and size of the scar that held his interest. This was not something normal and Inuyasha had no idea what could have caused it. The length of it traveled from behind her hip far up her right side and came down in front of her hip heading toward her "special area" before disappearing from sight underneath the yakuta. Inuyasha blushed at where his gaze was drawn, but he couldn't help but be fascinated by the scar. He hadn't seen many of them in his life since he himself couldn't scar easily because he was hanyou and youkai just didn't scar at all unless it involved limb loss. He wasn't around many humans to see this spectacle, and most tried to cover theirs as best as possible.

He reached out gingerly with his left hand, pulling back and hesitating before actually touching her. He examined her face to see if she would admonish him for attempting such a brazen act, but she made no effort to stop him. In fact, she still wasn't looking at him much at all. He softly touched her skin, making sure to stay to just to either side of the scar, almost afraid it might hurt her if he touched it.

A small gasp strayed from her lips as a single tear dripped down her face. Inuyasha stopped his hands from moving on her skin and cringed. "Did I hurt you?" he asked softly.

"No," she replied, giving him a smile – but a genuine smile. "I was just remembering, that was all. It's a sad story."

She sighed as she continued on. "No one knows about this, not even Sango. Of course Sango has seen the scar, we bathe together often enough that it would be impossible for her not to have. But I made up a fake story about it, I didn't want to let her know…"

She started drifting away as she was caught up in the sorrow, but quickly snapped herself out of it again. "Well I guess I better tell you why this happened or that would effectively lose the point of why I showed you in the first place."

She took in a deep breath.

"When I was younger I was being courted by a wolf-youkai named Kouga. He said something about seeing potential for great power in me. Anyhow, after just a little bit I realized that I didn't love him, that I couldn't love him. He was a great guy and all, it just wasn't there, and he was a little too forceful, wouldn't listen to what I was really saying. The guy sure would not take no for an answer."

Inuyasha, hand still on her skin, could feel her starting to shake slightly.

"One day he decided that instead of just saying I was his woman, he was going to take me for his mate. I was trying to fight him off, but he didn't really care. It wasn't until later I found out that that is what youkai women actually do during mating, something about chase and domination, so I guess I was egging him on, but heck if I knew anything about it. But you can guess how well I fared. I'm not exactly the strongest ningen in the world, especially going up against the leader of a wolf-youkai tribe. He got just a little too close for comfort and I started to panic. My body rocked violently and began to shoot out all this miko energy that I couldn't contain or control. I've lost control of my powers a couple times since then, but that was the first. I think the combination of Kouga's hands being on me when my body convulsed and the miko energy pouring into him is what gave his claw enough force to give me this scar. I know he didn't even mean to do this, that it just happened with the force of everything going on, but this is what I have as remembrance.

"Anyhow, I blacked out and Kouga was badly hurt, but he fought unconsciousness so he could watch over me. He must've carried me close to the village while I slept because when I woke up I recognized the hot springs where the village girls and I went to bathe. As soon as I was fully conscious Kouga came up to me and apologized profusely. He wouldn't look me in the eyes and just kept repeating what a shameful thing it was for him to have done, and that he would have to leave now so as not to dishonor either of us further. He wouldn't listen to anything I had to say and just turned around and ran off faster than I had ever seen him run before. That same night he and his tribe moved away from our village. I don't think we had realized before that just how much they did for us. They had greatly protected our borders from rogue youkai, who now had better access to us. It was after this that Sango's village was attacked, and I can't help but think that had Kouga's pack been there that maybe the youkai wouldn't have all gotten through and her family might still be alive. So you see, I do know something about pain and hiding, and there is such a thing as being accepted too much."

Inuyasha didn't know what to think – he couldn't think. He just kept staring at her stomach, tentatively moving his hand from beside the scar to rest directly on it, stroking it gently.

"It wasn't your fault Kagome. You cannot control what happened, and blaming yourself won't help. It happened, and you need to accept that and move on."

She smirked at his answer. "So then shouldn't you be taking your own advice?"

Normally that retort would've earned a growl from him, but it was too true and at the moment was hitting the mark. Aside from that he still was too enthralled in her skin. The tough exterior he saw every day, the parts of her body that had been darkened and hardened by the sun and working in the fields, it was so different from what he saw now. He saw a part of her that was protected, a part she didn't show to anyone else. Something in her was beckoning to him, calling out to him with a force he couldn't resist.

Before he knew what he was doing he was brushing his lips across the top of her hip just where the scar began. Kagome's surprised gasp was quickly replaced with the tiniest of moans as he continued his ministrations, continuing further down the scar. His other hand came up to hold her other side as he moved up onto his knees to have better access to her. All thoughts were knocked from Kagome's mind for the moment as she allowed her eyes to close and hear head to tip back. She buried her left hand in his hair, reveling in the feel of it. She was astonished at how soft it was, not like anything she had expected, and had to squish a hint of jealousy at how she liked his hair better than her own.

Kagome wrapped her hand further into Inuyasha's hair as she felt a warm wetness along her stomach, his tongue leaving long trails along any 'injured' parts of her body. Her fingers brushed against one of his ears and she felt him twitch slightly against her. Deciding to trust to luck since she had always wanted to feel the velvety appendage, she started to rub it gently between her thumb and forefinger. Inuyasha let out a small moan at the sensual overload and Kagome had to bite her own lip to keep herself quiet. Kagome grabbed both his ears and as she rubbed harder his kisses became deeper and deeper all along the line of her scar.

Suddenly Kagome couldn't take anymore. She dropped to her knees in front of him. When he looked at her to see if she was okay, if her legs had given out on her, she stared him down with the most heated look he had ever seen in his life, daring him to take what he wanted.

He answered her plea with a firm kiss, his hands still holding onto her sides. He still wasn't quite sure what he was doing, he didn't exactly have a lot of experience when it came to this kind of thing. He was just going off of what felt right and what he had seen others do. Kagome on the other hand was a little more experienced, although not terribly much so in her own right. Still she knew more than the nervous hanyou and decided to take full advantage of that fact.

Kagome untangled her arms from Inuyasha's hair and planted them firmly on his chest only to push him back against the wall. Inuyasha growled, looking surprised and slightly annoyed at this action as it caused them to break the kiss, but he only had to worry about that for a split second. Kagome quickly closed the space between them, crawling on top of him until she was straddling him in his sitting position, her knees on either sides of his legs, but not putting any weight on him. She was still innocent enough to not put herself pelvis to pelvis with the heated hanyou in front of her. She did however lean fully onto his chest now, reconnecting their lips in a passionate embrace. Inuyasha gasped slightly at her response and how dominant she was being, but decided he'd enjoy it for the moment. After all, it'd be his turn next, he thought smiling into her lips.

She took advantage of the moment and his surprise to not so gently push her tongue against his lips and teeth. She was not going to push any further without him being actively involved, since his fangs were quite sharp she was sure. Inuyasha could not remember _not_ being astonished by this girl with him. Everything she did fascinated and intrigued, if not puzzled him and this was no different. He had seen couples kiss, but he had no idea what she was doing right now with her tongue trying to invade his mouth. But Kami did it feel good! Following her lead he opened his mouth to try to stick his tongue out into her and felt her tongue delving into every crevice of his mouth, even gently gliding over his fangs. Suddenly with a sharp "eep!" she pulled out and he could see a slight pinprick of blood from where his fang had grazed her overzealous tongue.

Gazing at her heated face, her breath coming in short pants, and seeing that spot of blood on her tongue drove Inuyasha into overdrive. He decided her fun was done and it was his turn now, and he wouldn't worry about her innocence or his inexperience.

Quickly, but with a fluid grace that amazed Kagome, Inuyasha grabbed her up against him, pulling her into an immediately deep kiss that only got deeper as the seconds went on, instantly igniting a raging fire deep within Kagome's abdomen. All coherent thought left her mind as she clung to him as tightly as she could. With his outer haori gone she could feel all the muscles in his chest tightening and flexing through his thin inner haori, but decided it still wasn't good enough.

She maneuvered herself to get just enough leverage so she could pry his inner robe open and feel his precious skin for herself. Her hands felt up and down his chest, exploring from his collarbone down to his stone-like abs, feeling his hands clench her sides tighter and tighter. She snaked her arms around his back, raking her nails up and down his spine, eliciting moans of delight that he issued forth into her mouth.

It was now that they were both pressed firmly chest to chest with no obstruction that they realized Kagome was still clad only in Inuyasha's fire rat haori, and she was now failing to hold it closed. Inuyasha hissed as he felt part of her against him and looked down to see that indeed his haori had fallen open to reveal one of her perfectly formed breasts. Inuyasha just stared at it, a deep internal struggle going on within himself. He leaned forward to bring his mouth down to her but then hesitated and pulled himself back. Kagome could see the conflict writing itself across his face, but didn't know why. She placed a hand gently on his cheek and turned his head so he was back looking her in the eye. They sat there face to face, both panting and staring at each other. Finally Inuyasha pushed Kagome off his lap and turned to look away.

Kagome sat there stunned, tears stinging her eyes. What had just happened? Did he just kiss her like that because she had kissed him that way? Had it been pity and sympathy for what had happened to her? Was he disgusted with her because she was only a filthy human? She tried to stay quiet as sobs began to wrack her body.

_Bastard…baka, baka, baka…bastard!_ Inuyasha was berating himself. He had let himself get out of control and now he had made Kagome cry. Not like he could blame her, but he couldn't stop her just yet. He knew that if he looked at her right then he might lose his resolve and continue what they had just stopped, and he couldn't do that, not to her, not to Kagome. After a moment, when his blood had finally cooled enough that he could be level headed he turned to Kagome and laid a hand softly on her shoulder. She started as his touch and tried to shrug him off but he would not relent. He gently but firmly turned her toward him and wiped her tears off with the pads of his thumbs.

"Kagome…I…" he started unsuccessfully. "Kagome, please don't cry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that to you."

"What-" she hiccupped, "what does that mean? Does that mean you don't want me?" She looked away from him, not sure she could handle looking him in the eye when the answer came.

"No, Kagome, I don't want you." He cringed when he heard her suck in her breath and bite on her bottom lip. "I don't _want_ you, I…I…"

She finally looked back up at him as he gathered his words.

"I love you."

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A/N: yeah, like I said, not where I want it, but hope it'll do for now. That'll do donkey, that'll do. See ya sometime next week!

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	11. Disbelief

**A/N:** We've hit 50 reviews! Thanks to all you crazy people out there, you've kept me going. Especially with this chapter, oi! So sorry about the delay in it but I was out of town, had family crap, and then my boyfriend's grandpa died. Aside from that I swear I wrote at least 5 different versions of this chapter. I'm still not completely satisfied with this one, but oh well. Move on and be done with it! I actually considered posting a couple different versions on here and just seeing which one ya'll liked the best, but I'll forgo that little experiment. Also took me a while because I'm not too good nor too comfortable with writing lemons, but it actually is _necessary_ for this story. Ah, you don't understand yet, but you will my children….ohhhhh you will…muahahaha.

So yes, **WARNING: LEMON** in this chapter. If you do not like please contact me and I will fix or will create an edited version for you and send it to you. Full version at mediaminer dot org

Other than that, please enjoy!

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DISCLAIMER: I do not even own a real puppy, let alone a hanyou. Sad day for me.

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**Chapter 11: Disbelief**

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_Last Time:_

"No, Kagome, I don't want you." He cringed when he heard her suck in her breath and bite on her bottom lip. "I don't _want_ you, I…I…"

She finally looked back up at him as he gathered his words.

"I love you."

* * *

"You…you what!" Kagome sputtered.

"I –" Inuyasha started.

"No. I may be a silly ningen, but that doesn't give you the right to toy with me," she said with tears in her eyes. "You saved my life, yes. I owe you big for that. But you ignore me, get embarrassed about me, angry because of me, then do all _that_" she made a sweeping hand motion to indicate what they had just been doing, "and then brush me off and don't want to touch me because you say you 'love me'. Uh huh, yeah right."

Inuyasha yelled and hit the wall behind him. This was not the response he expected when he finally opened up to this girl, when he showed her something so vulnerable.

"Just because I'm a ningen and you're my master doesn't mean you can treat me like a toy. So just stop lying!"

"Lying!" His ears shot up and he looked at her mouth agape, his surprise evident.

Kagome managed a sad half-smile at the stunned hanyou, despite her anger at the moment. "Yes, lying. You're a bad liar Inuyasha. I know you don't love me. I'm your servant, too far beneath you. You've been cold to me, ignoring me ever since I moved in here as if my mere presence is too much for you and I'm a burden to have in your life. Plus you've been hiding something from me – I know it. There's something you've been lying to me about, and though I'm not sure what it is I know it's something big. So how can you talk about love when you don't trust or respect me?"

He knew she had a point, but it was his turn to get defensive now. "So is that it then? Do you think I'm just a stupid hanyou incapable of something like love? Pity, sure…compassion, maybe…anger, hell yes…but love? No that's something beyond his feeble mind," he bit out at her. "Is that all you see when you look at me? Hmph! And I thought you said you were my friend. Maybe you were just pretending since you thought you were about to die and wouldn't have to live up to it!"

"Argh! You are a hanyou and you certainly are stupid, but that doesn't make you a stupid hanyou!" She gasped as tears started to streak down her face. "And you are my friend, I wouldn't lie to you. I like you just the way you are you big jerk!" Kagome shook her head as her body started to shake in sobs. She curled her legs up into her chest and buried her head in her knees as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Inuyasha looked at her angry at himself. He made her cry yet again. Baka! He sure had a talent for making the worst of a situation. He'd been so self-protective, not knowing what to do when she didn't accept that he loved her that he'd turned on her and even questioned her friendship. He sure was an ass to devalue the gift given to him by this beautiful innocent miko. But what could he say to her now? Anything he tried would probably just push his foot further into his mouth and make it worse for her.

"I'm sorry…" her words cut in.

"What the fuck!" Inuyasha nearly fell over. "What the hell could you be apologizing for? I'm the one being a jerk."

"No Inuyasha," she said resolutely, "just let me get this out." Taking in a deep breath to steady herself she continued, her eyes remaining glued to her feet. "You have been nothing but kind to me and have stuck out your neck for me multiple times. You've saved my life and I'm nothing but a burden to you. I've come in here and forced you to change the way you live, disrupted your habits and your life, and given you someone to take care of all the time. Now I've even made you uncomfortable in your own house and am making you put up with some silly emotional human female."

"Kagome, enough." He couldn't stand to listen to her demean herself any further. "Can you really be that dense? Can't you see that everything I've been doing has been for you? Because I love you!"

This was too much. She was starting to get dizzy from the emotional roller coaster she was riding. "Oh yeah? Prove it," she challenged.

"Alright wench," he growled, closing in on her. "Let's start with Miroku. Your friend Sango was in pain so you were in pain and I didn't like that. So that is why I went to find that blasted houshi. Why else would I risk myself to save you time and time again? I almost burned to a crisp one time, and the Musagai – had I been challenged I could have lost my life along with you. That's the same reason I was staying away from you here."

"Why's that?" she asked.

"To protect you bitch!" he snapped, hating to have to explain every part of this and reveal so much of himself to her. It was highly uncomfortable to be this vulnerable and he wasn't used to it. Suddenly realizing how close he had moved to her he became self-conscious and backed off.

"To protect me from what?" she whispered, almost pleading. He seemed to be retreating back inside himself as he did so often and Kagome was desperate to prevent that from happening again, especially now of all moments. His lack of response was making her wonder if he'd even heard her. He was still standing a few feet in front of her with his eyes tacked to the floor in front of him.

"Protect me from what?" she prodded again, getting up to move toward him.

He instantly let out a low growl that froze her in place and sent her a look that clearly carried the warning of 'stay put,' causing her to clutch even tighter at the red haori covering her. "To protect you from me…" flowed out from his growl, the untamed quality never leaving his voice.

"Why would I need protecting from you?" she asked, but immediately she understood as she saw the feral look in his eyes as they turned dark and hazy from desire.

Thinking he'd made his point Inuyasha lowered his eyes once again, hoping he hadn't frightened Kagome too much. However when he felt a small hand on his cheek he realized he hadn't frightened her enough.

Kagome had to fight back a giggle as Inuyasha almost fell over backward in surprise. If there was one thing the hanyou didn't deal well with it was wounded pride. One thing – ha! Well, one of the things eh didn't handle well. Anyhow Kagome made sure to keep a straight, serious face as he recovered from his surprise only to start backpedaling as quickly as he could, not going much of anywhere since he was up against a wall.

"Why are you running away from me – why do you keep hiding?" The hurt in her voice carried through and was painfully obvious to Inuyasha. "You don't have to protect me from _that_, you know," she said shyly, unable to meet his eyes.

"Kagome…"

"I don't _want_ you to protect me from that Inuyasha." She stared up into his eyes, amazed by her own brazenness but determined to not lose this opportunity. "Did you not notice that I was the one who started all that earlier? You're the one who stopped it."

"Kagome," he said sadly, "I can't do that to you."

"I know," she sighed heavily, backing away from him.

"You do?" he responded, startled at her sudden change.

"Yes," she replied, a single tear cascading elegantly down her cheek. "You're my master. It's your job to protect me and you've taken me on even though I've messed up your life and caused you embarrassment, and…" she took in a deep breath "…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the trouble and for trying to get you to do something so obviously disgusting to you."

"Kagome, if you try to apologize to me one more time I'm going to clamp your mouth shut." Her eyes shot up to his stunned. "You do the very opposite of disgust me, as I thought you'd figured out by now. The reason I can't do any of this with you right now is because…that would make you my concubine." There, he'd said it. Now she could grouse at him and they could be on their merry little way.

"I knew that already," she said quizzically, as if what he'd just said was the most obvious thing in the world.

"WHAT! What do you mean you knew that already? How could you know you'd be my concubine? And why would you kiss me if you knew what it would eventually turn you into!" he yelled flabbergasted.

"I knew because what other possibility is there? If I'm your servant and _if _we had…physical relations – which I'm not saying we definitely would! - then that makes me a concubine. It's not as if I have much other choice here, I'm bound to you either way, so there's not much difference."

"Yes it makes a difference – it makes all the difference in the world! You deserve much better than to be a concubine, especially the concubine of a hanyou." He paused slightly, wincing from the glare she gave him when he demeaned himself as a hanyou. "Besides, you can't be my concubine. That wouldn't give you enough protection and you would be killed."

"Oh, but being your servant is so much higher in status?" she questioned sarcastically.

Shit, he'd really dug his foot in this time. There was no way getting around it, he had to tell her.

"Uh…Kagome…um…remember when you said you knew I was lying…about something big?" He fidgeted with the front of his inner haori.

She nodded.

"Well…I…uh…" he glanced quickly up at her before planting his eyes on the ground again, his hand going up to scratch his head, "I kinda made you my mate." He immediately flattened his ears against his head and winced, preparing for the tirade Kagome would throw at him.

When she said nothing, stunned into silence, Inuyasha assumed that she was angry with him and wanted an explanation so he immediately went into defense mode.

"I didn't tell you because I would never force you to do anything of course! Since there would be no real difference in your lifestyle I told you that you were just my personal servant so you wouldn't have to live with the shame of being mated to a hanyou."

"Then why did you push me away?" she whispered, looking pleadingly into his eyes.

His countenance dropped as he conceded to tell her every bit of information he could; she deserved it at this point. "Because I didn't trust myself around you. I've been living with the temptation of you being my legal mate and having the right to do whatever I want with you," he blushed bright red, "but I knew I couldn't do anything. I didn't want to ruin how innocent your life was."

Kagome sat silent for a moment, mulling over his words. "My life stopped being innocent a long time ago," she said distantly, absent-mindedly touching the gash along her hip. "Even more so when I came to live in the youkai village. But you didn't answer my question: Why did you push me away – just now – over there?" She motioned to where the two of them had been almost on top of each other previously.

"I already told you. If I took you now you'd be my concubine and nothing more. Then all of this would be for nothing and you'd have no protection."

Kagome looked at him with confusion written all over her face. "But if I'm already your mate then how on earth could I become your concubine?"

"The mark," he said, walking over to her and lightly brushing his fingers against the sensitive spot. Kagome had to fight the temptation to shut her eyes and just revel in the feel of his skin against hers. "This mark is to show that you are mine – that you belong to me and no one else can take you. My mate," he growled and Kagome felt chills run down her spine. "It must be permanent before we can…uh…consummate. I guess one of those worth waiting for things. If I just wanted you as my concubine I could take you now but the mark would begin to fade and I'd have to remark you every time I took you to repeat the claim, to show I still wanted you. If I decided I didn't want you anymore or we just didn't do…that," he coughed, "for a few days the mark would fade away completely and neither of us would have any claim over the other."

"Then why was I drinking your blood?" she asked. "Is that part of the mating ritual also?" She still had plenty of questions.

"Well, kinda." He scratched his head again, looking sheepish. "In youkai mating you'd give me a mark of your own and drink in my blood." She grimaced at the thought and he smirked at her, giving a small chuckle. "Yeah, I figured as much. For this part the marking isn't as important as you drinking my blood. I figured you didn't have sharp enough teeth and that the whole thing would gross you out a little bit, not to mention that it would arouse your suspicion a bit to have the 'servant' marking the 'master,' so I just gave you blood from my finger. It works."

"So how do we know when the mark is ready?"

"Since you're human it should take less time, so after tomorrow it might be done. Tomorrow nite you'll have to drink more of my blood also. If your scar stays after tomorrow then the ritual will be complete."

"Complete?"

He turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "As complete as is necessary for your protection. After that you'll just have to keep drinking my blood for my scent to stay on you."

They sat there in silence while both worked this through their minds.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome began tentatively. "What if I don't want to be your mate just in name?" He jerked his head up to look at her, startled. "What if I want to be your mate for real?"

He stares at her incredulous. "You…..you…."

A slow smile spread across her face. "I love you baka. Don't you get that by now?" Looking up at him and seeing his dumb-founded expression she gathered he had no idea. "Dang, and I thought everyone knew." She smiled sardonically to herself. "You know, that's why I got so upset at first when you said you loved me. I was so scared to believe it." She looked straight into his eyes and held him there for a moment. "But you really do love me, don't you?"

"Hai," he choked out, barely believing what was happening in front of him. She believed him now? More than that, she loved him back?

"Well in that case," she said moving toward him, "I would love nothing more than to take you as my mate…my real mate." She reached up to kiss him but he blocked her. "What? What's the problem?" she asked confused.

He stared down at her with most heated eyes she'd ever seen and she gasped at his intense change from shy to wanton in the blink of an eye. "I don't think I could stop myself this time Kagome."

"Well I'll just have to stop us then, won't I?" she smiled seductively back up at him.

"How do you know you'll be able to stop me?" he asked, his face leaning dangerously close to hers.

"You said so yourself that you'd never force me. I know that you would never intentionally hurt me Inuyasha, so if I stopped or said no I know that you would stop too." She looked up at him with such trust and love shining in her eyes, but the underlying depths of lust pushed him over the edge and he couldn't stop himself from meeting her lips as she brought her face up to him again.

From the intense heat in Inuyasha's eyes Kagome had expected him to nearly devour her, but instead found their rhythm a bit slower paced although increasingly erotic and intense. It was as if they knew they had all the time in the world and so were in no rush as they explored the cavities of each other's mouths, pressing themselves deeper and deeper into and learning every single crevice of space that existed in each other.

Kagome made sure to hang on to the haori this time, although everything inside of her craved to wrap both arms around him and keep her left arm from being an obstacle between their two chests, but she resisted as much for Inuyasha's sanity as her own. If he got a hold of her breast she wasn't sure she'd have enough coherent thought left to tell him to stop.

After what seemed like hours and yet mere seconds at the same time they parted, both gasping greedily for air and hanging just as greedily onto each other, not pulling back any further than they had to.

They stayed like that just gazing at each other until Kagome had to stifle back a yawn.

"So, you still gonna sleep by yourself against the wall tonite?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked and blushed slightly. "Actually I got a bit of a problem to take care of first, so I think I'm gonna go take a quick bath in the pond."

"The pond, but it'll be freezing!" she protested.

"That's the point."

She looked at him confused until he glanced down at himself. Kagome followed his gaze and gasped when she saw the large bulge in his hakama and then the wicked grin he leveled at her.

He couldn't help but laugh at her beet red face as she tried to sputter something out. "Don't worry about it Kagome, it's not gonna kill me, right? It's worked well enough the last few days so it'll work tonite as well."

"The last few days!" she exclaimed.

"Hai. You think this is the first time you've done this to me?" He smiled as she blushed again. "I'll be back soon." He got up, kissed the top of her head, then headed toward the door, but her words made him pause.

"Well in a couple more days hopefully we'll have another way to take care of that problem, ne?" He groaned as the effect of her words coursed through him. Looked like it would take him longer than usual in the pond tonite.

As soon as he leaped out the door Kagome followed to watch him bound off. His grace and strength still amazed her. Just as he was starting to fade from view Kagome caught the first glimpses of the sun rising, the silver flashes of his hair now shining with an orange hue. _Wow, they had talked all night. Well, no wonder with all they had had to hash out._ She still couldn't believe it. Inuyasha loved her? She was legally his mate? Oh how her life could change in the course of a few hours.

With her head still spinning she lay down on her futon in an attempt to still it and slowly fell into a deep peaceful sleep.

When Inuyasha got back the sun had risen and though he wasn't exceedingly tired he knew Kagome was exhausted as her form lay strewn out on the futon, completely covered by her yakuta once again thank the kamis. Delicately, so as not to wake her, he picked up the slumbering miko in his arms and carried her over to the wall where he sat down Indian style and then laid her into his lap. He gently settled her head against his chest, her nose almost reaching the crook between his neck and shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her protectively before falling into a shallow sleep himself.

When he woke up he found Kagome silently watching him with a small smile playing on her lips. "Morning mate," she said, giggling slightly at the new title.

"Morning?" He queried, glancing at the slanting sun outside.

"Okay fine, so it's not really morning. That's just what you say when people get up. Would you prefer good evening or goodnite?" She scrunched her face up, slightly miffed that he had missed her calling him her mate. Maybe he wasn't as excited about it as she thought?

He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in deeply. "No, morning is fine," he said, his voice coming out muffled. He pulled out of her hair and grabbed her face in his right hand and turned her head to look at him. As soon as her eyes connected with his he said, "Good morning mate." She smiled brilliantly up at him and threw her arms around him in a giant bear hug.

"You didn't leave me this time, for the day I mean," she let out excitedly.

"Well I figured it's about time I spend some time with my mate."

"So what's on the agenda for today capitan?" she said, mock saluting him.

"Today?" He motioned outside again to where the sun was already setting.

"We slept all day? Are you kidding!"

"Yeah, but that's fine with me, kept it short." He smiled down at her, only to see her looking up at him puzzled. "It's time to mark you again."

She looked up at him and blushed at the darker tone she saw swirling in his eyes.

"Hai," she whispered as his breath was already scruffling up against her neck. His left arm pushed on her back, pulling her form closer to his as his right hand pushed back her hair and pulled down the neck line on her yakuta.

Without any wait whatsoever he plunged his teeth right in, determined that his mark would stick on her this third time. He pumped his fangs in and out of her already semi-scarred flesh as his mate writhed in his arms. Kagome pulled herself closer to him with her right arm and then pushed her left hand up into his full head of hair, gently tugging at it when he hit a really good spot on her. When she found his ear and started rubbing Inuyasha switched from biting to licking, lapping up all the blood that was in danger of running down and staining her night robe.

He noticed one particular trail of blood that was falling down her back quicker and faster than the others, so he half turned her in his arms and pulled down the cloth to reveal more of her creamy back to him. He gasped as the beast inside of him reveled in the contrast of her dark blood against the paler skin of her typically unexposed back. He turned her the rest of the way in his arms so that her back was completely facing him, his hands tightly wrapped around Kagome's stomach, and proceeded to slowly clean her back of any blemishes. Inuyasha actually whimpered when he realized he had just licked up the last one and that the marking was complete for another night. Kagome twisted herself in his lap until she could reach behind his neck with one arm and brought his head down to hers for one quick kiss.

"How long will it take to know if I'm fully scarred from this?" she said with heat in her eyes.

"We should know by tomorrow nite," he answered, mesmerized by the strange swirls in her eyes.

"That long?" She said putting on her best pouty face. "I'll be bored all by myself tomorrow. Why do I have to stay by myself anyhow? What really is this three week seclusion?"

"It's complicated…" How the hell did he explain these things to her? It wasn't the most comfortable thing to talk about. Inuyasha sighed. "First of all it's to protect both of us during the scarring part of the ritual. If I smelled another man on you I would probably go insane and beat the living shit out of him, so it's also to protect anyone else around. You do not want to get between a youkai and his mate during this time."

Kagome giggled but could sense the hesitancy in his eyes. "What else?" She encouraged.

"You're supposed to be too sore to go out."

She gasped. "But I thought we couldn't do anything that would make me 'sore' until after all this part is finished? And even then that only typically lasts the night."

"It's different me being hanyou and you being human. If you were youkai I couldn't be as gentle marking you. Since youkai heal so quickly I'd pretty much have to sink my teeth in and bite far enough in that I could thrash you around some and rip up your shoulder a bit, enough that you'd be too sore to use your left arm much. After that, when we finally get to the…uh… mating part of it, I've heard that youkai are a bit rougher and that human females are a bit more fragile," he added blushing.

"Oh," she said turning crimson red. "Well thanx for not ripping up my shoulder, but don't worry about roughing me up a bit." She suddenly smiled up at him with a devilish hentai look he thought only she could master. "I can take anything you dish out at me, and I'll give it back enough that maybe you'll be the one too sore to go out."

His blood shot straight through him and he groaned, thankful he was already sitting down. "Kagome, don't talk like that yet," he growled at her through half-lidded eyes. "In fact you should get some sleep now. If this worked," he said his claws fondling her mark as his warm breath grazed her neck, "you'll be needing plenty of rest for tomorrow nite," he continued with a wicked grin. He got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" she asked, confused at his sudden change.

"I gotta run off what you just did to me, wench," he answered, giving her a sly look. "Just go on back to sleep."

"Oh, well when are you going to be back?" When he shot her a questioning look she added, "I don't like to sleep without you here."

He walked back over to her and crooked a finger under her chin. "I'll be back before you fall asleep then," he raised her face and kissed her gently before jumping out door.

Not too much later he came back, hair slightly damp. Kagome raised an eyebrow at his interesting appearance.

"Well I figured you didn't want to sleep next to a sweaty man, now did you?"

She laughed at him. She wanted to make some snide comment about how she'd have to get used to sleeping with a sweaty man but didn't feel like waiting for him to go on another run or pond-dipping expedition, so she decided to just hold her tongue.

Seeing that she wasn't inclined to say anything more Inuyasha grabbed her and jumped outside.

"I thought we were going to sleep?" she asked him.

"We are. I hate being inside that damned building," he mumbled as he landed on a large branch just slightly further up in the tree.

"And all this time you've been sleeping inside?" She smiled brilliantly at him and hugged him hard. He stayed inside that building to protect her, to be near to her, so that she wouldn't be alone. He was so sweet even when he was trying to distance himself as much as he could from her.

He sat down and pulled her into his lap, his legs spread with her sitting between them and her back pulled up against his chest, his chin resting on her crown. He coiled his arms around her waist and she laid her hands on top of his, intertwining their fingers. "G'nite."

The next morning Kagome woke up back inside the hut, confused as she heard Inuyasha busily running around with pots and pans for breakfast. "Inuyasha, what are you doing? Why are you in such a hurry?"

He looked at her apologetically. "There's no way I'd keep sane in here all day. I'm gonna head out to work to try getting my mind off of tonite." Finishing, he quickly turned back to fixing their breakfast.

Watching him work Kagome hadn't even realized she was in a daze just appreciating the way her mate's body moved even in the most monotonous of motions. "Yeah," she replied, snapping back for a moment. "Maybe that would be a good thing." Inuyasha smiled as he turned around and saw the flush staining her pretty face. Sauntering over to her he handed her a bowl and a pair of chopsticks, gave her a fairly knock-your-socks-off kind of kiss, and then abruptly cut it and ran out the door.

Kagome sat there trying to figure out the blur that was the last few minutes, fingers resting delicately on her lips, but then decided that her mind was too jumbled and she wouldn't be able to focus on much of anything today and just set to her breakfast. By the end of her meal she had already spilled her bowl twice and knocked over her water. Getting up to clear the mess she had nearly stumbled into the fire, but at least that showed her that the fire was getting low and she needed to stoke it with more wood. Figuring she wasn't good for much anything else she just went out to the porch and sat down to calm herself, take in the view, and hopefully get her mind off a certain hanyou and when he was coming home. Today was going to be a long day.

Early that afternoon Inuyasha was already leaving work. He'd been sent home since he wasn't getting anything done and spent most of his time just dazing off into space. He wasn't any good there and there were snickering suspicions among the other youkai as to why. He growled. Not like it was any of their damn business anyway.

Frustrated, he knew he still had time to kill, so he went to the one place he could think of that might calm his blood. Walking into the forest of pink he immediately felt a sense of peace surround him. Before, whenever he had come here his mind had always been emptied, it was a kind of escape for him. Now he had visions floating in his mind of Kagome twirling with the blossoms, of the awe-filled smile she had upon first seeing this place. Oddly enough these visions didn't set him off anymore but just set a firmer place down inside him that made him know this was right and gave him the patience to wait this out no matter how long it took. He prayed to kami her mark had taken the night before but he couldn't know so this patience was something he knew he needed.

Suddenly he wanted to take a reminder of this place to Kagome. He knew she missed it, yet even if he were the one to bring her it would still be breaking the rules to bring her here during the next two weeks; you never know when a stray male youkai is lurking around. Sighing he decided just taking her some of the blossoms would suffice. Not daring to harm any of the living trees in this sacred area he just hoped he would find enough good ones on the ground to take to his mate. As if the trees knew his heart the three trees closest to him suddenly dropped massive amounts of blossoms, one tree even dropping a sakura-covered twig for him to take. Gathering up all the flowers he glanced up to see that the sun was already beginning to set and he hurriedly grasped the rest of the flowers in his hands and raced off toward his hut.

When he jumped in the door he was surprised to see Kagome still dressed in her flimsy house yakuta, but seeing as that just made things easier for him he shrugged. Kagome spun around, sensing his presence before he even landed in the hut and shot him a big smile. Kami her smiles were amazing. Remembering the flowers in his hands he grinned shyly as he slowly gave them to her. She accepted them readily, inhaling deeply of their scent, feeling a wave of joy wash over her. "Thank you mate," she whispered into the flowers, raising her head to catch his eyes with hers. Then suddenly she spun on her heel and began to walk away from him.

Inuyasha had to do a double take. _What the - ! Oh, she wants to play games now, does she?_ He eyes, sparked with glee and mischievous desire, followed her as she walked over to the futon and sat down on in. Leaning back slightly on her arms she pulled her robe down to reveal her shoulder to him. "What's the verdict?" she asked.

He knelt down next to her examining the mark. He poked at it, sniffed it, licked it, then started nipping at it and kissing it, moving her yakuta down slightly more to get better access. Inuyasha's kisses continually got deeper and as she moaned he pulled his head up and stared heatedly into her eyes, giving her a terribly wicked grin as he leaned down to claim her lips. He lowered her fully to the futon as he pried open the top of her yakuta and pressed his lips to her collarbone, her neck, her throat, and any other skin that was available. Kagome strained against him and grabbing his hair she pulled him against her, one hand fisting into the futon while the other found one of Inuyasha's ears and rubbed it hard. He gave her a soft nip as a hard growl escaped his lips and he leaned up to look at her.

"I guess….that means….that…the mark is good then"…she said panting. In response he snaked his hand down her still closed yakuta, stroking her side and eliciting little whimpers of delight from her. Kagome never knew that his hands could be so talented or that there could be such an erotic use for such long claws. He smirked at her, beads of sweat already forming on her face and neck. Kagome clung hard to the futon beneath her, feeling that if she didn't do so she might somehow slip away and fall out of the room.

"Hai," he whispered against her skin. He grinned down at her – almost boyish in his excitement Kagome thought – and then leaned down to take her.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

A few feverish moments later they were still caught in a splay of heat, their bodies pressing together and their breath mingling in ways it never had before. Kagome gasped as she felt their throbbing parts bump against each other, feeling both delicious surprise and excitement.

Inuyasha looked down at the wanton creature beneath him and thanked the kamis for their mercy to him; giving him someone as wonderful as Kagome was beyond what he deserved. He brushed her bangs away from where they were plastered to her forehead by her heady perspiration.

"Kagome…are you sure?" His question was cut off by the pressure of her lips against his. She pulled back and looked up at him in surprise.

"You think I could question all this?" she querried, giving him an impish smirk that made his blood boil.

"I love you too, mate," he murmured against his skin, picking up where they had left off and finally consummating their relationship.

Kagome stiffened as she suddenly felt him inside of her, sensations careening off the charts in all directions. At first she was riding a wave of pleasure, but then it quickly turned to pain and then panic as she was blinded by a wave of white. She felt like her insides were being torn from her and thrown across the room, and then it hit her as she saw small tendrils of pink float into her vision across the blazing whiteness. In that hyper-sensitive state all her senses shut off except for sight and sound, and since all she saw was a blanket of pink and white her hearing was heightened all the more. Dreadful actually. As she finally slipped away into unconsciousness she heard Inuyasha's screams mix with her own as the darkness finally took her.

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**A/N:** I apologize. I think the next few chapters might be coming out a little bit slower as I am missing a few details here and there. I have the main parts of the story down, but if any of you feel like giving suggestions or comments, please feel free.

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	12. Of What May Be

**A/N:** Yes, sorry I'm lame and this is taking forever to come out, and thank you all for your patience! I shall try to be a better author from now on!

Aikihana: yeah, that last chapter certainly was a bit longer than my others, no? It was about 17 pages typed out in Word, while this one is only 10! Yeah, quite the differences.

Zirra Nova: I love the way you put it - the first time hurts for a girl so why not for the guy too? Haha, it's hilarious. Hadn't thought of that angle at all, so it's fun to see what you're getting out of it.

Black Betty: Your evil sense of humor is great…muahahaha. I love what you say, thanx for being a great reviewer!

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**Edit**: ArtemisMoon informed me that the jump in this chapter is a bit abrupt. This is the same story I assure you, and I promise it'll make sense by the end of the chapter. I'll work later on making the transition a bit smoother, but for now I'm only working on updating. So til then – enjoy!

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Disclaimer: What, you still need one of these?

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**Chapter 12: Of What May Be

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**

Kagome felt like she was swimming, but not in water or anything so clear or light, but through something murky and almost thick. She wasn't gasping for air or anything so urgent, but she still felt the need to get to the surface as quickly as she could. She got closer, closer. Suddenly she started feeling her body again, even though it wasn't responding to her impulses. Straining against the tide she was making herself dizzy with effort, but there was no giving up. She had to get back to Inuyasha, she had to see that he was okay, she had to know what was going on…

Suddenly, with a jolt, she woke up. With a wakeup like that she'd expected to have the energy to barrel out of bed, but she found it was difficult to even open her eyes. She let out a moan, feeling disoriented, sick, wasn't even sure where she was at the moment. _Man, this is getting so old!_ She griped to herself as she continued to work on getting her muscles to do what she told them. Finally she was able to turn slightly on her side and open her eyes.

What she saw confused her as much as made her comfortable. A fire was crackling behind her so that she saw her own shadow playing against the walls of the hut they were in, or at least she would have seen that had her eyes gone up that far. They still weren't focusing well so she was taking in the things closer to her. The floors were hardwood and had dirt in the cracks instead of air, more like a land dwelling than their tree-house dwelling. _Where am I? Where is Inuyasha?_

Out of the corner of her eye she saw that she was covered in something red and she somehow immediately had the energy to sit up and start scanning the hut for him. Taking in her surroundings she was stunned. This most definitely was not only a ground dwelling, but a human one at that; the style found in human villages and not those that the humans used in the youkai village. In that village the humans and some youkai had lived in one large conglomerate castle that was more shoji screens than anything else. Even the human village she had lived in prior to being captured wasn't quite like what she was seeing herself in right now. Still, there was something familiar about it that she couldn't quite place, something that seemed like home…and that unknown made her uncomfortable.

Then she saw him. Him, Inuyasha, sitting in the far corner of the hut looking at her warily as if he were unsure about something.

"Inuyasha…" she gasped out, ignoring the pain in her chest.

That single word was all he needed. He was by her side instantly, gazing into her eyes for only a split second before placing the most gentle of kisses on her lips. Kagome almost wanted to cry. Not only were her emotions being played against her by the wounds on her body, but she hadn't realized until just now that she'd been haunted by the nagging feeling that he wouldn't want her anymore, that he'd just as soon give up on the whole thing than try to deal with what had happened to them. Her lips twisted upward in a small smile against him. It appeared she was wrong.

Her arms came up to wrap around his neck, brushing against a strange necklace. Suddenly she gasped in recognition…_the rosary beads!_

Inuyasha heard her surprise and immediately backed up, scurrying away like a beaten puppy to his previous post by the wall. "I'm sorry Kagome, I didn't mean to do that. We were just so worried about you…"

He moved toward the door; she searched his face, looking for any clue as to what had just happened or what he was talking about. "Good to see you're okay Kagome," he threw over his shoulder as he walked out, his eyes never meeting hers.

Outside he found Shippo first. "Hey runt, Kagome's awake."

"Hurray!" the kitsune yelled as he tried to streak past Inuyasha. His attempt was failed when Inuyasha grabbed him by the tail and held him so that they were face to face, Shippo shrieking all the while. "You big bully! Put me down! I want to go see Kagome!"

"Fine, but be careful. She's probably still hurt. And _don't_ tell her anything about what happened."

Shippo whined in protest but stopped when Inuyasha squeezed harder on his tail and flashed one of his deadly fangs. "I will tell her myself. Understand!" he growled.

Shippo nodded his head, glad when Inuyasha finally dropped him and he was free to scamper to the hut. Of course, on his way he did pause to turn around and stick out his tongue at Inuyasha and retort the obligatory "You meanie!" before he continued on.

Inuyasha just growled at him in return. He knew Kagome would be happy to see the young kit; in fact that's why Inuyasha sent him in first. He just hoped Shippo didn't spill the beans on anything; he wasn't exactly known for being good at keeping a secret. With a slight huff Inuyasha continued on to find the slayer, the old woman, and the houshi.

* * *

Kagome sat in silence inside the hut. That strange, vague sense of familiarity she had felt when she first saw the place after waking, it was…well…intensifying! It kept pushing at the edges of her mind. Those rosary beads had made it even worse. _Why would any demon, let alone Inuysha be wearing those? Speaking of Inuyasha…he'd been wearing his entire fire rat outfit, hadn't he? So then what was that red thing I saw on me?_

Her throat convulsed in a large gulp, unsure of what she would find and whether she wanted to know what was going on or not. She still hadn't taken her eyes off the spot on the door where he'd last stood and now she was astounded by what she saw when she looked down at her lap. _It certainly is…red. And um…silky?_

She ran her hands over the bedding, prodding and exploring. Her fingers came to rest on something hard and cold, and when she pulled on it it made this particular sound she somehow recognized…_A zipper!_ _This is my sleeping bag! But…sleeping bag? How did this get here? How did I get here? The last thing I remember…_ well the last thing she remembered turned her a brilliant shade of red.

A shrieking wail from outside drew her attention. "Kaggoooommmeeeeee!" it yeled as a blur of orange headed straight toward her. Before she could react something warm and fuzzy had lodged itself in her arms. Looking down she saw a young kitsune snuggling against her. "Kagome, you're okay," he sniffed.

"Shhh…don't cry…" _…'uh little guy?'_ she cooed. Soothed by her voice he raised his head up to her and ran his arm across his runny nose. "Shippo!" Kagome cried.

"Well who else would it be Kagome? Oh, we've all missed you so much!" He clung to her again with renewed force.

"We all?" she asked, somehow hesitant to know the answer.

"Yes. Me and Sango and Miroku and Kaede and even Inuyasha." He looked up at her worried before jumping to her shoulder and placing a small paw to her face. "Are you sure you're feeling alright Kagome?"

Dazedly she nodded, not really paying attention. _But Kaede was supposed to be back in the human village and had never even met Shippo or Inuyasha. Did Inuyasha bring her here while I was asleep just like he did with Miroku? But wait…if Sango and Miroku are here then where's Kohaku?_

"Shippo, what about Sango and Miroku's son?"

"Son!" He looked at her like she'd just lost her mind, and she was beginning to think he was right.

* * *

Inuyasha kept walking along, grousing until he finally found who he was looking for: the houshi. He was the last and hardest one to tackle. He'd already run into Sango and Kaede down by the river and told them Kagome was awake. He'd sent them away to take care of her, but only after first swearing them to secrecy. The two women didn't know _that_ much for _sure_ though, so Inuyasha had more confidence in their keeping quiet. They had their hunches, of course, but nothing solid. The houshi, on the other hand, was another issue…one he was going to deal with right now.

"Hey, buozo!" Inuyasha stomped over to the meditating man. "Wake up, I gotta talk to ya!"

Miroku cracked an eye at his friend. "By your presence I assume this means that Kagome-sama has awake. Is she alright then?"

"Yeah," he huffed, "she's fine."

"Why Inuyasha, I do believe you are blushing," Miroku said smirking. Despite the circumstances, it was still fun to tease the hanyou a bit, just enough to lighten the mood mind you.

"Be careful buozo…" Inuyasha almost snarled, sending his friend a murderous look.

"Inuyasha, you have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about my friend…and nothing to worry about I might add…"

"What do you mean I ain't got nothing to worry about! Iwaht if something like this were to happen again!"

"Ah, I see. So that is why you came to talk to me. Well, I helped coax you into this mess with Kagome-sama, which I guess you could use to say it's partly my fault, so I'll help out in whatever way I can."

"Good. Then you'll keep quiet and not tell Kagome what put her in a coma."

Miroku glared. "But Inuyasha…"

"No," he replied deliberately. "You will not tell her. That way you'll be right and I won't have anything to worry about – because this won't happen to her again!"

"Inuyasha no baka! Kagome loves you. She will pursue this with you and you know that. She's as stubborn as you are and she desperately wanted to be your mate. You think this will take away her resolution to see it through? This flare up of her miko powers will not stop her. Only you backing out on your word, taking back your offer of mates, and telling her you don't want her anymore would prevent her from going further and that would absolutely break her heart. Both of us know you wouldn't do that to her."

"You're wrong Miroku, I won't have to stop her like that." He sighed heavily and suddenly Miroku noticed how broken and deflated he looked.

"You didn't see her before. Something's different…something changed." He ran his claws frustratedly through his hair. "I kissed her when she woke up. I know for her sake I shouldn't have, but I was so relieved to see her awake again, to know she was alright."

Inuyasha glanced up at Miroku, pain evident in his eyes. "At first she responded, but then she panicked and…I could smell her fear and confusion, even if I couldn't have read it on her face…" _That damn face is so transparent – the girl can't hide anything!_ "At first I thought it was her reaction to remembering what happened the last time we were…physical…and her miko powers knocked us both out, but that wasn't it. When I was far enough away from her to see into her eyes, even though for just a split second, I saw a loss there. She seemed so tiny, so lost and confused." His hands fidgeted in his lap as he struggled to go on. "She doesn't remember what happened Miroku."

The monk let out a small gasp. _Was Kagome-sama really that hurt by this lash out of her powers – against the guy she loves no less? Is she just repressing the memory or does she have short term memory loss? Or what if it's more than short term…_ He quickly looked up in alarm. "When you say fear and confusion…did she recognize you?"

"I know where you're going with this and don't worry, she did recognize me at least. I don't know how much she forgot, but not enough to forget all of us. I already sent Shippo in to keep her company and Sango and Kaede should be getting there soon to take care of her.

"No, she didn't panic until I kissed her. At first she seemed so happy to see me, and damn it! I took her as my mate, so of course I kissed her!"

Inuyasha stopped. With one heart wrenching, deafening yell he drove both of his fists into the hard earth in front of him, leaving a veritable crater at his feet and heaving up a dust cloud that caused Miroku to convulse in a coughing fit. It wasn't until the dust settled that Miroku saw that Inuyasha hadn't moved a muscle since his outburst, but that he still seemed to be fighting something.

Gingerly he called out to his friend and was startled that, when his head rose to reveal his face beneath the mantle of silver that had been hiding his features, he could see tears swimming in the hanyou's eyes.

"Don't you get it Miroku?" Inuyasha started, his voice deep and dark. "Fear, panic, and confusion when I kiss her? When I kiss the girl I tried to make my own fucking mate!" he bit out. "She didn't just forget what happened: about how we agreed to be mates and that her miko powers revolted against me and put her into a coma. Kuso, it's more than that man. She forgot that she loved me."

Miroku was shocked to silence. He didn't know what to say, nor could he stand to see his friend so heartbroken, it was more than even he could bear. He knew that Kagome couldn't have forgotten _that_. If she remembered the colorful hanyou she'd have to remember she loved him – she _had_ almost as long as she'd known him. This feeling was not a recent development on her part, but maybe Inuyasha didn't know that.

He opened his mouth to argue all this but was cut off by a blood-curdling scream – Kagome's scream. Before another word could be said both Inuyasha and mirkou were on their feet running as fast as they possibly could toward the village and Kaede's hut.

* * *

"Son?" Shippo blinked at Kagome. _Maybe she'd been injured worse than they all thought_. "Sango and Miroku don't have a son Kagome, they're not even married yet."

"Not yet?"

Shippo winced slightly and dug his hand into Kagome's hair. It wasn't like her to forget such important things, even after an injury. Then again, she had never been injured like this before.

"Hai, they're waiting until Kohaku is better and can walk on his own again and leave the hut so that he can be in the ceremony." Upon seeing her blank stare he explained a bit more. "Kohaku was injured real bad in the last battle with Naraku and, even though he was revived, he still hasn't gotten all better yet."

_Wait a minute!_ Kagome's eyes flickered back and forth as her thoughs spun in her head. _Kohaku – is alive? That's right! He was revived the first time by the Shikon embedded in his back by Naraku._ A shudder ran through her body at the mere thought of his name and suddenly everything clicked.

This place, this time, this hut, this Shippo, this Kohku, this Kaede and Sango and Miroku…this Inuyasha. This was the real version. Everything else she remembered, everything she had just lived through and felt and experienced…

Her pain and realization surfaced together as she let out a horrified scream.

_Her_ Inuyasha had just been a dream.

* * *

Inuyasha burst through the bamboo screen on the door of Kaede's hut to see Kagome, still screaming and sobbing, clutching onto Shippo as for dear life itself. She kept mumbling something to herself over and over. "I'm so stupid. It was a dream. It was all just a dream"

Sango stood by her, trying to calm the frantic girl. "What was? Did you have a nightmare Kagome-chan?"

When Kagome finally stopped crying, and her voice was only littered here and there with small hiccups, she still sat in a state of distanced shock, like she was standing outside of herself while explaining these things. "No. Well, parts of it were like a nightmare, but other parts were amazing. It's not like I've never had dreams like this before…but this was somehow so completely _different_. It was so in-depth, so detailed, so real. Even now," she glanced around the room, "sitting here with you all, I'm having trouble convincing myself it was just a dream. I can still remember every scent and sight, still feel every touch." She blushed and brought a hand up to her face, her eyes quickly flicking to Inuyasha before being plastered to her lap. "There's no way to describe it…I still can't believe it. I'm sorry about screaming, I've just been so confused and now I feel like something's been ripped away from me." A single tear slid down her cheek and she wiped at it furiously as she turned to Kaede. "How could it have been so real? So detailed?"

"Well, you had been living in it for a week straight, child. The mind can do strange things given such time," replied the wizened old woman.

"A week!" screeched Kagome.

"Hai, you have been unconscious or seven days Kagome." Inuyasha growled low in his throat, but Kaede just shot him back a look as if to say _'I didn't tell her what happened – what more do you want? I can't keep _everything_ from her.'_

"7 days?" Inuyasha's attention turned back to Kagome. "What happened to me?"

Everyone in the room mumbled inarticulate responses, their eyes darting around the room until they landed on Inuyasha.

Kagome followed the path of their vision to the glowering hanyou standing by the door. "Inuyasha?" she questioned him, her eyes pleading.

He looked at her for what felt like an eternity before he couldn't take it anymore. With a 'feh' he turned and walked out the door.

Kagome looked at each of the others in confusion. "Does anyone want to tell me what's going on here?"

They all remained silent until Miroku stepped forward and laid a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Inuyasha swore us all to secrecy, and as much as I hate it, I do see his reasons. This is something you will have to work out with him."

She heard the truth and sincerity in his words and struggled to get up but a sharp pain shooting down her leg kept her seated where she was. "Augh!" she cried out in frustration. "How am I supposed to get answers from him when the baka runs away!"

* * *

Inuyasha was running. Kagome's face kept flashing before his eyes – Kagome's _blushing _face.She forgets all about him and what the two of them had done together, and yet she gets all girly about a dream. _Damn it – I'm the only one who should be able to make her blush like that!_

A clearing finally came into view. _Good_. Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, flexing his claws. This clearing was just about to get bigger.

* * *

Miroku found Inuyasha hours later still hacking away at the logs strewn all about. "Hey Inuyasha," he called out, the hanyou not even pausing from his rampage, "are you trying to make firewood or toothpicks?"

The statement caught him off guard and Inuyasha raised his head to glare at his grinning friend. Taking in the scene of the demolition derby he'd just had with the trees, those words rang true. _Maybe I did get a little carried away…_

He shrugged slightly to himself and started gathering the few large wood chunks together, waiting in silence for Miroku to speak his piece.

"I understand where you're coming from, Inuyasha, I really do." That earned an over-the-shoulder death glare causing Miroku to cough a bit. "I don't know what I'd do if Sango forgot agreeing to marry me. I wouldn't know what to do about my soul mate's aura somehow conflicting with my own – especially in such an intimate, vulnerable moment." _Vulnerable_, Inuyasha winced at the word.

"I don't know what to tell you to do about Kagome-sama, because I don't rightly know what I myself would do. But I do know what you shouldn't do: you shouldn't be out here brooding all by yourself for hours on end when your _mate_ is lying wounded in a hut confused beyond anything she's ever known before."

Inuyasha's eyes snapped forward at the word _mate_, and he was so surprised he nearly dropped all the wood piled up in his arms. "Mate?" he whispered incredulously. Miroku finally had his full attention.

"Yes, Inuyasha, mate. That is still what she is even if she doesn't currently remember it. You went through the bonding ritual and you smell of each other still, a week later. In what realm would that not term you mates? Though you didn't fully finish the act, even you must know mating is more than just a physical thing."

Inuyasha was stunned, so he did what he does best: he tried to hide that he was dumb-struck and slack jawed by keeping quiet.

"So what I tell you is that your _mate_ needs you right now. She may not remember you being her mate, but she remembers a best friend. She was hurt when you left Inuyasha. Since she doesn't know what really happened she's afraid she's done something to hurt you, to offend you. I'm not saying you need to tell her everything tonite, but at least assuage her fears."

It seemed his words were getting through that thick skull. Inuyasha dropped the logs and turned to stalk off toward the village.

"Uh, Inuyasha? One more thing. You know that dream that Kagome-sama was talking about? It's come up a lot. She keeps referring back to it repeatedly. Apparently we were all in it too, although we've only been able to get very little information out of her about it even though it's obvious how much she wants to let it out. Mostly her reticence seems to concern you; whenever she mentions your name she immediately goes quiet and her face turns sullen. This is not like her at all; something big happened in her dream, Inuyasha. Kagome needs help coping with it, and since it has to do with you, you're the only one who can do that."

Inuyasha brooded for a moment, his ears twitching back and forth every now and then, as if expressing the turmoil of thoughts swirling in his mind. He just turned to head back toward the village, still unsure of what he could say to Kagome, when he felt a chill breeze sweep across the clearing carrying a familiar scent. _Oh kami, no…not right now of all times!_

Turning around he saw a dark figure under the trees on the other side of the open space, but even with the poor light he could tell immediately who it was: the last person on earth he wanted to see at that exact moment.

"Kikyou…"

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Yes, I know, I'm evil. Those two just can't get a break, can they?

No, this is not the traditional 'amnesia' or 'dream' bit or anything like that. It will be clearly evident in the next chapter or two why it was necessary that Kagome have both these alternate memories, and she cannot remember everything currently because that just makes sense and because it forces things to be put on the table. So hopefully everything will be coming together and pulling full circle in just a bit.

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	13. Enter Memories

**A/N:** Thanx for the updates. A couple people said that they enjoyed the twist, but that it took a couple read throughs to understand what was going on. Sorry about the confusion! If any of you think it is just too ridiculously confusing the way it is written please let me know and I will try to make it better. If you let me know which specific areas that would be amazing of you and I would love you forever! (As if I don't already…haha). Special thanx to Black Betty, Zirra Nova, Akihana, and elemental obsession for being great reviewers regularly as of late - you guys rock!

Sorry, I suck at updating apparently. No excuses this time, I'm just lame.

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Disclaimer: Not even if there were flying pigs, I'm sure there are others who would be in line before me.

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**Chapter 13: Enter Memories

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**

"Kikyou…"

The un-dead miko stepped out of the shadows into the fading twilight, which gave her an even more ethereal sense than she normally carried. She turned to Miroku and addressed him first.

"Houshi-sama, leave us now. We will speak in a few days, but for now I must give Inuyasha alone a message."

Miroku gave a skeptical look, but when Inuyasha did nothing to intervene, he shrugged his shoulders and turned away. Glancing one more time at Inuyasha he advised him, "Be quick Inuyasha, and be careful. You have someone else's welfare to worry about now." He was surprised when he saw Inuyasha give the slightest hint of a nod, more response than Miroku expected out of the hanyou when he faced his old love. Still, he kept his face an impassive mask and without another word headed out of the clearing back toward the village, praying all the while that Inuyasha would be smart.

When she was satisfied that Miroku was far enough away, Kikyou turned to Inuyasha with an expression he did not recognize but could only decipher as a sad smile. "I will not keep you tonite, Inuyasha. I only ask that you come meet me here, in this spot, tomorrow nite. Alone."

At his quizzical expression Kikyou turned sterner. "I wish it did not have to be so soon, but _it_ is getting stronger." Her voice turned almost desperate, a quality Inuyasha had never seen in her. "I must meet with you – alone – tomorrow night. You will understand once we have spoken. For now go to your mate, she needs you."

Inuyasha almost choked on his own tongue hearing Kikyou refer to Kagome as his mate, and that she was not saying it in any derogatory way. His expression softened; he felt bad for doing such a thing to Kikyou, but he really had no other choice. She wasn't who she once was, and his love for Kagome was different anyhow. But still, how did she know about Kagome being his mate? They had never even finished the entire ritual, and that had only been a week ago anyhow. He opened his mouth to speak, even though he didn't know what to say, but Kikyou cut him off.

"Do not worry Inuyasha, I do not intend to take you away from your mate. There are bigger things at stake now. Go to Kagome, but make sure that you tell her _everything_. I know you wish you had more time to let her adjust to it, but we do not have that time. She is essential and must know the truth. I will speak to you both a few days hence, but tomorrow – you alone. Make sure to be here at twilight. I will be waiting."

Inuyasha nodded curtly, amazing that she was able to keep him silent like that. Crazy how different it was with Kagome. Kagome! Now here was something to truly be frightened of…not only did he have to go face her right now, and after seeing Kikyou which always made her upset, but he had to tell her the truth. The whole truth. He grimaced just thinking about it. And then there was her dream to deal with…there was going to take a while.

His breath caught in his throat, he didn't realize he was already standing outside the hut. Mentally preparing himself he pulled back the bamboo curtain covering the door and did a double take at what he saw: everyone else in the room was asleep but Kagome sat in a far corner looking right at him, as if she'd been expecting him right at that moment.

"Took you long enough," she quipped.

"Huh..but…wha…how did you know…?" he stuttered.

"I don't know, I just had this feeling that you were going to be coming in any minute, and here you are. I guess my gut was right." She smiled vaguely but Inuyasha could tell she had a great strain on her mind. "There something…uh…"

"Yeah, there's something we need to talk about. C'mon." He walked over and knelt in front of her, beckoning her onto his back.

"But where..?"

"Look," he turned his eyes to her, their amber depths sparkling, "there are things I need to tell you that I don't want to talk about with everyone around. Besides, I hear there are some things in your dream that have to do with me," he raised an eyebrow at her blush, "that you won't talk to anyone else about. So it's just better for both of this way – we have a lot of things to hash out." _Plus if you get mad and start screaming at me we won't wake up half the village_, he thought as he felt her weight settle itself onto his back.

Kagome clung to Inuyasha's back as they made their way through the forest, the cold night air and the trees rushing by giving her the distinct impression the two of them were flying together, an almost-memory she couldn't' place. The thing was, she couldn't figure out which 'reality' this semi-memory was supposed to be from. _How am I supposed to figure things out here if I can't even remember what applies here!_ She could only hope that whatever Inuyasha told her tonite helped with that – she still had no recent memory of this life.

"Inuyasha?" she ventured. It wasn't unusual for them to travel along in silence, but he _had_ brought her out here to talk.

"Relax Kagome, we're almost there." She hadn't noticed how her knees and fingers were gripping him tighter and tighter, and whenever she loosened her hold they began to shake in anticipation. Or was it fear? _Augh!_ She had enough to think about already. _C'mon Kagome, get a grip! It's Inuyasha, what are you worried about? Just breathe…breathe…there you go…_

"We're here." Inuyasha's voice knocked Kagome out of her 'trance' for her to see they were steadily climbing Goshinboku. _How is it everything important seems to happen near this tree?_

They came to rest in one of the upper branches and Inuyasha crouched down, but instead of letting Kagome just slide off, he spun her until she was in his arms, nestled up against his chest.

Kagome was startled to say the least; this was not normal Inuyasha behavior – the hanyou who hated human emotions. She was about to question him on it but thought better of the idea. She had no idea what was going on in his mind for him to show her this much affection, but she was certainly enjoying this, laying in his warm arms like she belonged there, and she was going to soak it in while she could. Still, she knew it was slightly awkward, knowing all the words that were hanging over their heads and would be out in the open in just a few minutes, but right now she would still live in her dream. Inuyasha stirred under her, and he was having some of the same thoughts. He knew he was probably surprising Kagome with how he was acting, but It had just been so long since he'd held his mate. They sat in silence a few more minutes before Inuyasha pulled her back far enough to look into her face. _Here goes…_he thought, mentally preparing himself.

"So you want to go first?" Kagome looked up at him with timid eyes. She felt bad making him spill everything first, but there was _no way_ she was just going to come out of the blue and say she'd dreamt of them of them as being…considerably more than friends. He'd probably be disgusted by her, she was nothing compared with Kikyou. Her eyes flashed anger for a moment before she calmed herself back down, but not before Inuyasha caught it. "Fine, I'll tell you what happened, but first you have to promise not to say _it_."

"Inuyasha, we're too high up!" she gasped, surprised he would think she would sit him all the way up in Goshinboku. "Besides, why would I--"

"Just promise, okay!" _Why couldn't anything be easy with this girl, she had to question everything!_

"Okay, I promise."

"No matter what."

She eyed him skeptically but nodded her head. "No matter what." Kagome waited…and waited…and waited. _Geez, I though he said he'd go first_. She was just about to prod him to speaking when she realized he'd whispered something, so low she couldn't understand it. "What did you say?" Every hair on her body stood on end.

He looked right in her eyes and held them for a moment before he said again, "I took you as my mate."

Kagome was stunned, she didn't' know what to do so she did the only thing she could do: she panicked. She raised herself to her feet and backpedaled, failing to notice a small twig jutting out from the supporting branch, and began to fall, causing her panic to go into even more of a frenzied state.

Inuyasha easily caught both her wrists in his hand, pulling her back to safety. She stood in front of him panting, a vision of anger, and yelled at him as she tugged at her captive wrists, "LIAR!"

"What?" What the hell do you mean calling me a liar, bitch!" It was his turn to get angry now. He wasn't used to opening up, being vulnerable in such a way, and to have it thrown back in his face like this was nearly unbearable.

"I've told you before, don't call me bitch!" she fumed. This guy was really incorrigible.

"It's the proper term for the mate of an Inu youkai, and I'll call you whatever I want!"

"But I'm not your mate!" She was getting hysterical, close to tears.

"Oh yes you are," he argued.

"No, I'm not," she whimpered. That finally broke Inuyasha, he hadn't thought she might react like this, just trying to deny the whole thing.

"Look, maybe you don't want to be my mate anymore – fine." Kagome's eyes shot up at what he said and at the sudden change in his tone, it was fierce, sad. "But just because you don't remember it doesn't mean that it didn't happen."

She took in everything about the hanyou in front of her, his ears plastered to his head, his eyes averted. She followed the lines of his body down to where his hands still clenched her wrists. Wait…his slightly blackened hands…was it possible he was telling the truth?

"Inuyasha?" he raised his head and she carefully avoided his eyes, not wanting to see the pain there and not sure she could trust herself until she knew for sure. "Come over here into the moonlight – I need to see something."

He raised himself up and headed toward the edge of the branch, and Kagome noticed he still didn't' leave his grip on her. It was as if he was afraid of losing her…

Kagome turned abruptly once she could see clearly and held up her wrists and Inuyasha's hands, turning them in front of her. "I can't see, you need to let go." At his reluctance she added, "Don't worry, I'm not leaving or anything. Where would I go?" she nodded toward the inky expanse below them. At her little joke she felt him finally loosen up a little bit and she slowly uncurled his fingers and held his hands carefully in her own to see that they were indeed blackened, or upon closer inspection, burned.

"I did this to you," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

Inuyasha stared at her, astonished. "How did you know that?"

"Because it happened in my dream," she replied simply, as if that explained everything.

"What is it with this dream?" he asked, wondering what was weighing on her so much, but she didn't answer. Instead she turned and made her way back to the trunk of the tree and sat with her back to it, motioning Inuyasha to do the same and sit beside her.

"Is this the first time this happened?" she asked, grabbing his hand again and peering at it like it would reveal the answers to all her questions.

"This is the first time we did anything and so the only time you hurt me, if that's what you mean." Kagome could only guess at what he meant by 'did anything.' From her dream she had a pretty good clue, but that would have to wait a moment.

"No, I mean yes, I mean…" Sigh. "I need to know that too, but I meant – was this the first time I lost control of my miko powers?"

Abruptly Inuyasha was in her face, eyeing her over as if for some injury. "Just what _is_ the last thing you remember, Kagome?"

She gulped. His being so close to her now was not making her any less nervous. "I…I don't know for sure. Hunting shares I suppose…"

"So…you don't remember about Naraku?"

"What about Naraku?" A sinking feeling was settling in her stomach, and she didn't like what it was trying to tell her.

"That bastard's gone."

"You got him!"

"No Kagome – you did. You and Kikyou."

"What! How on earth did that happen!" This was the last thing she was expecting to hear right now.

"That's not a pretty story, so let's save that 'til tomorrow at least. But that was the first time your miko powers flared out of control."

"What do you mean it's not a pretty story?" She was almost afraid to know.

"Naraku was a sadistic bastard – you really have to ask?" He could see the fear in her eyes, but as she remained undeterred he leaned over and pulled up the edge of her shirt while pushing down the hem of her skirt to reveal the tip of a deep scar running along her hip.

"Kouga!" she gasped, smoothing her fingers gently along the abraised skin.

"How did you know that was Kouga!" He didn't hate the guy anymore, but was still suspicious of anything mentioning him. Jealousy dies hard.

"Same as before – it's the same as my dream. Well, different, but the same," she added cryptically. "So Kouga gave me this scar?"

"Yeah, and as much as I hate to say it the guy was trying to do something right."

Kagome quirked an eyebrow in his direction. Since when did her beloved hanyou not go irate at Kouga's name?

"He was trying to save you. One thing led to another and he was thrown, his claws leaving a trail of blood down your side. But it was closer to you than any of the rest of us managed to get." He growled under his breath. "Is that what happened in your dream?" he asked, eyeing her carefully.

"No, not exactly. My miko powers shoved Kouga away and the force of it drove his claws into me, scarring me, but I knew he didn't mean to do it."

He was in her face again. "What did Kouga do to set off your miko powers?"

"It was the first time my powers went off in my dream, so maybe the same thing that happened in real life…" she left off, fishing, hoping Inuyasha would give something away about what _did_ happen.

"Nope. Kouga wasn't the one who set you off. You were already unconscious and losing control when he tried to get to you. But I saw what set you off here, and it better not be the same thing happening in your dream – that shit it scary enough in the waking world."

Kagome gripped Inuyasha's hand a bit tighter and shivered at the thought that something so truly sinister must have happened to her in real life. Luckily her dream wasn't so dark – at least not this part of it. "Nothing happened that sounds as bad as what you're talking about, but if you keep your secrets then I'll keep mine – for now."

"Kagome…" he growled warningly.

"Inuyasha, don't push it. I might just forget that promise I made, and I don't really want to try climbing out of this tree by myself."

He heard the veiled threat and decided to let it pass. He had more important questions right now anyhow. "Fine. Then tell me more about your miko powers in this dream. Sounds like you hurt me once there too – and why won't you tell anyone else about what I did in your dream?"

He cut himself off He'd been able to smell her nervousness before, but now her blush was bright enough he would have been able to see it in the dark even on his ningen night. _This could be interesting._

After taking a moment to calm herself down, Kagome started to explain some of the details. "I was a normal village girl. No time travel, no well-house, just learning under Kaede and protecting the village from rogue youkai, although I'll admit I was too busy to learn much from Kaede. Maybe that's part of why I couldn't control my miko powers as I should. Anyhow, the first time, as I mentioned, was Kouga. Second time Sango and I were out scouting and came to this magical, serene clearing. As soon as we left I was overwhelmed by jyaki and lost control until Sango dragged me back into the clearing. After that we were captives in a hidden youkai village…yes, youkai were less powerful there, they were being hunted to extinction by the humans," she replied to Inuyasha's puzzled expression. "Maybe that's how things change from your time to my time – I don't know, just a guess.

"So after that I had to keep my miko abilities a secret. I was doing good, although you _had_ found out, until my friend Yumi made a suicide run for the borders of the town." She hugged her arms closer to her body at the memory and Inuyasha, sensing her anxiety, laid a hand on her shoulder. "You see, for secrecy sake the humans weren't allowed to leave the village. I figured out too late what Yumi was doing and only caught up as the guards were closing in on her. I freaked out, losing control of the miko power and lost consciousness, but you saved me from killing the guards." Her sudden smile caught him off guard. "You dragged me into a muddy pond and that cooled me down enough to calm the rage that was feeding the outburst of power. That's when I saw you all burned up."

She paused and looked up at him. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry for hurting you." A solitary river made its way down her face and Inuyasha leaned over to wipe it away, then in the same motion pulled her into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and begged, "Kagome, please don't cry – you know I hate that. Besides, you're still remembering the dream. What we did here was worth the pain, it wasn't your fault." He sighed, the weight of his breath lifting Kagome's hair around her face. "I wish you remembered," he whispered.

"Well, I do, sort of. I don't know exactly what happened, but they're probably similar enough…"

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha's confusion was written all over his face.

"There's more."

"Oh," he said simply, then pulled her closer and let her continue.

"Umm…so…" she started off stammering from embarrassment, "after that I was put on trial and sentenced to death because I was too dangerous to the village, but you saved me."

"Of course I did," he grumbled. "I've promised to always protect you."

Kagome shook her head. "Yes, but it wasn't like that. You took responsibility for me – you took me on as your mate. You didn't' let me know at first, told me I was just your servant, but eventually we figured things out and that we loved each other," she gripped his haori tighter, "and then…we became mates for real."

"Meaning…?" he motioned for her to go on.

"Oh!" she batted him on the chest, irritated that despite how obviously embarrassed she was he was still going to make her spell it out for him.

Inuyasha smiled darkly in response. He was pretty sure he knew what she meant, but she was so fun to irritate and tease.

"We started to mate…and as soon as you entered me…there was blinding light and pain – my powers were out of control again. Then I woke up here and all of this confusion started." Kagome fidgeted with her fingers, hoping he wouldn't mind too much the kind of dream she'd had about him, but as she kept waiting and Inuyasha still didn't say anything she began to get nervous. Glancing up she saw his eyes were half-lidded and unfocused with his head tilted up, like he was dreaming or lost in some memory. "Inuyasha? Say something, you're scaring me."

He turned his head back toward her and smiled. "I was just remembering Kagome. You were right, that is exactly what happened here too."

"Really?" She was relieved to find only sincerity written on his features, or at least until his smile turned into a devilish grin. "What?" she asked, suddenly wary.

He snickered and poked her arm. "You had a graphic dream about me." He laughed as her face turned beet red and her mouth moved with no sound coming out. She buried her face in his chest and didn't come out until she heard him say, "Welcome to my world now, mate."

"What!" she yelled. "You mean you have dreams like that about…wait, mate?"

He nodded, wearing a huge grin that Kagome immediately matched. "You mean it?" she squealed.

"Hai, you're still my mate."

_Hmm_, she thought, suddenly in a playful mood. "So if I'm your mate, does that mean I'm allowed to do this?" she said as she brought her arms up around his neck.

It took Inuyasha a moment to respond. _Did…did she just accept being my mate? Then that must mean that…she still loves me! Hell yeah! Hmm, so my mate wants to play, eh?_ "Hai, but that means I get to do this," he bantered back, wrapping his arms more securely around the beautiful creature sitting in his lap, pulling her forward until there was no room for air to flow between them. Kagome smiled up at him, looking for all the world like she was going to kill him, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes that had Inuyasha worried. "What about this?" she asked, the words dripping off her lips seductively and making Inuyasha's toes curl.

Before he could react, her right arm snaked its way upward and she grabbed a hold of one ears, rubbing hard. Inuyasha flinched involuntarily at the sensations coursing through him and he closed his eyes to fight off the urges that followed. He growled at her, enough to get her to stop momentarily, and he regained enough composure to glare down at her. The heat in his darkened amber eyes was enough to almost melt Kagome where she sat. "You're allowed mate, but if you keep doing that we may both end up in a coma again." He had one hand on the back of her head and his tongue played back and forth between his fangs and his lips, like he wanted to consume her. Kagome got the message and with an "Eep!" she quickly let go of his ear and brought her hands back down to her lap. "Okay, good to know," she said timidly, embarrassed and gasping for air. That was a little more intense than she'd expected, but then again…"Yes, definitely good to know," her features immediately turning sensual again as a seductive smile crossed her lips. It was Inuyasha's turn now to be taken aback by the raw provocation of his mate. Kagome's smile grew gentler as she thought, _This will definitely be useful once we figure out my miko powers, so not now._

She brought one hand up to the side of his face and softly kissed him on the lips, the merest whisper of skin against skin. "For later, ne?" she said, referring to what had just passed. "Hai, for later mate," he breathed back, leaning further into the tree for support and pulling her with him.

Kagome wasn't completely done playing though, and after the intensity of her last attempt…"Inuyasha, can I do this?" She pulled open his haori slightly, just enough to let her small hand pass through. As her hand touched his skin she heard a slight intake of breath, but seeing no other sign to stop she continued. She traced the contours of the muscles along her path, noting how some flexed or jumped under her fingers, and finally came to his side where she used her nails to rake up and down his ribs all the way to his hip and back up again. Leaning up against his chest she was able to hear how his heartbeat had shot up at first, but it was back to a resting pace now and she could actually hear a low rumble starting in what sounded like a deep place in his chest.

The rumbling was actually quite soothing, and between that and being wrapped up in a pair of warm, strong arms, she was fighting to stay awake. Inuyasha smiled down at her, he couldn't believe how lucky he was this night. Of all the ways he imaging this conversation would go he never thought it would end up with her in his arms while she stroked his side, especially with his knack for words and saying the wrong ones. Somehow this moment was just peaceful; he would be happy staying like that forever. "Hai, you can do that mate," he finally replied as he mimicked a similar motion on her side, rubbing his fingers across her smooth skin right above her scar. He smiled as she snuggled closer into him, her motions slowing as she grew lethargic.

"I love you Kagome." She paused and looked up at him, her smile lighting up the entire sky. "I know," she got out before her face was enveloped by a jaw-cracking yawn. He looked at her, where she was grinning from embarrassment, and gently pulled her head down to his shoulder. "Go to sleep Kagome, you're still getting better and you've been awake all day and now all night." He motioned over to where they could see through the leaves the beginnings of color creep into the sky. She would have argued some point but was just too exhausted, and she immediately fell asleep, awash in a sense of security.

Inuyasha glanced down at her. There was plenty he still had to think about, things Kagome still had to know, and then there was his meeting with Kikyou tonight. He shook his head, for now he was just going to relax in the company of his mate, he'd worry about the rest in a bit.

* * *

Kagome and Inuyasha did not return to the village until well after noon, Kagome having slept away the majority of the day. Everyone of their friends immediately noticed the change in her demeanor and the extra spring in her step, despite the fact that her body was slightly injured, especially when she flashed them all her trademark smile.

"Kagome!" "Kagome-sama!" "Kagome-chan!" Shippo, Miroku, and Sango all shouted in chorus at the approach of their friend. They clustered around her, despite the protective mate that was attached to her arm, and began to pester her with questions…that is until Inuyasha let out a warning growl and Kaede came out of the hut yelling at Inuyasha for keeping her ward out all night. Kagome laughed at the sight of Inuyasha being scolded by the old lady, sensitive ears pushed to his skull in defense against the decibel level of Kaede's voice. Shippo was the one who finally broke in, "Come on, Kagome, come sit inside so Kaede will let you talk with us. I still miss you!"

"Hai," everyone agreed, and they all headed into the hut. Kagome noticed that Inuyasha hung back, wearing a preoccupied look on his face, and she went over and gently grabbed his hand. "What's wrong?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"Kagome, please don't be mad at me," he requested, squeezing her hand back. Before she could even question him he continued, "I ran into Kikyou last night with Miroku. She requested that I meet her tonight at dusk…alone."

"And…are you going?" Inuyasha winced at the slight sadness lacing her words.

"I have to go Kagome. Not only did she help take down Naraku and save you, but there seems to be something really important she has to tell me. She said that later she wants to meet with you and the rest of the gang also. But I promise I'll keep it short, and besides, you don't have to worry anymore. You're my mate now."

Kagome still looked hesitant but nodded her consent. Even though she didn't like it, considering she couldn't remember the Kikyou that had saved her and only had her older memories of the undead miko who wanted to drag Inuyasha to hell, she had to respect Inuyasha and let him make choices like this. Just because she was now his mate didn't mean she could dictate all of his life and who he could see. She would choose to trust him, like she always had.

Inuyasha smiled and leaned over to kiss Kagome. What started out as a gentle brush of his lips over hers quickly turned into something more heated, more passionate, as the two let any pent up feelings pour into each other. Slowly Kagome pulled back and laid her head against Inuyasha's shoulder, frustrated that they couldn't follow this through even if they had the time. Inuyasha grunted in agreement, as if hearing her thoughts, but then gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head and turned to leave. He look back at her for fear that he would run back into her arms and never budge from them again, so he just plodded forward, his mind racing with questions about what Kikyou could want.

Kagome watched as he walked off, but then hearing commotion from inside the hut, which she could only guess was Miroku groping at Sango again due to the sighs, laughter, and yelps of pain, she headed to the hut to see her friends.

Shippo immediately ran to Kagome as she entered the door, but at a tsk' from Kaede he waited until she was sitting comfortably before he climbed into her arms. "How are you child, do you need anything? We have dinner prepared for you."

"Thank you Kaede, dinner would be great. Other than that I'm fine. A little bit tired still, but I feel great!" She smiled of great contentment.

Miroku was the first to jump in. "So Kagome-sama, I trust you and Inuyasha had a most…fruitful night," his eyes creaking in a smile.

"Hentai!" yelled Sango as she hit him upside the head, though not hard enough to damage anything. She was still going to marry this bozo after all.

"My dear Sango!" interjected the offended houshi, "I was merely referring to their conversation. We all know that there can be none of that' right now, at least not until they figure something out so we won't be taking care of them in their comas for the rest of their lives!" Miroku was meaning to make a joke of it, but Kagome suddenly became quiet and introspective. "Kagome-sama, I…"

"No, it's fine Miroku," interjected Kagome. "You just made me think of something from my dream, that's all."

"About your dream Kagome, what was so serious about it that you couldn't tell us?" Sango looked a cross between concerned and slightly offended that her friend felt she couldn't confide in her.

"I'm sorry Sango-chan," said Kagome, a blush gracing her cheeks. "It's just that I was embarrassed of what I dreamt about and I didn't want to let you guys know at first. Now I can tell you though - remember how I was telling you about the youkai village and how you all were there? Well Inuyasha was there too, and he saved me from one of my miko power freak outs. After that…we became mates," her blush deepened to the color of an overripe tomato, "and the same thing happened in my dream that happened here…my miko powers flared up and we were both in great pain, and then I woke up here."

Kaede was taking great interest in what Kagome was saying. "Do you think it is possible, child, that your dream could be predictive in a way?"

"I'm not sure," said Kagome, screwing her eyes in concentration. "It's possible, but since it involves things that already happened, maybe it's just helping me forget things that I forgot?"

"That is possible too, of course, but you might want to evaluate some of the other things that happened there, probably some small thing that may be important. Just an idea though."

"Okay, Kaede, I will. But that reminds me, there's something I want to ask you all. Inuyasha mentioned it last night but wouldn't tell me the details of it because it's supposed to be pretty scary, but now I need to know. What happened to defeat Naraku?"

The room was suddenly very quiet, a tension filling the air. Even Shippo was abnormally still, only fidgeting with the front of his vest. "Kagome-sama, it might be better to wait until Inuyasha returns before telling that story," started Miroku.

"Why? Why, now that we're mates, should I have to wait on him for anything? If it wasn't like that before it shouldn't change now, and you don't need his permission to let me know something that happened in _my_ past." Miroku was surprised at the frustration that was radiating off the woman sitting in front of him.

"Besides, I'm getting paranoid with only my imagination to feed off of. My head keeps running through all the worst possible scenarios, and that is more frightening than knowing what happened for sure. And you must tell me everything. Please?"

He looked from Sango to Kaede, searching for some sign of resistance, but upon seeing none he conceded. "Alright Kagome, we'll tell you, but you must promise to tell me if I need to stop at any point, and for the record…I'm sorry."

Kagome groaned. "Miroku, please never start any story like that again, you're just making me more anxious!"

"Of course. Now where to start…Well I suppose there's no good way to say it, so I'll just be blunt. Naraku kidnapped you. We still don't know exactly how he got you out from under us, and I guess now we'll never know. He decided to attack us spiritually and emotionally through you, and the way he figured out to do it was…what he'd originally planned to do to Kikyou," he stated vaguely, hoping Kagome would understand and he wouldn't have to say the word, but seeing her confused look he knew he'd failed. "He decided that since he couldn't have Kikyou that he would have you…he was raping you Kagome."

Kagome let out a gasp, a shaky hand going to cover her mouth, but she nodded her head for Miroku to continue.

"When we finally caught up with him you were lying naked in his arms, and he made sure well that we could see but kept himself protected behind a barrier and some lesser youkai. Inuyasha went berserk, hacking away at that barrier with his red Tetsusaiga, but as soon as he got through one he found another. I believe there were three barriers in all, and Inuyasha was having to fight his way through them as well as some of those troublesome youkai lackeys. Sango, Kirara, Shippo, and I were working on the rest of the youkai, and were doing a decent job, despite the Saimyoushou, until Kohaku showed up. He immediately went to attacking Sango, and that's when things seemed to get really out of hand.

"Inuyasha had finally broken through the last barrier, and Naraku was having to divide his attention between you and Inuyasha. Despite his split attention, he was still giving Inuyasha quite a few injuries, and that might have been it had Sesshoumaru, Kouga, and Kikyou not shown up. They didn't all arrive at exactly the same moment, but they were eerily close together.

"The first thing that happened was that Naraku…I guess we could say he made contact with you. I'm not sure just how far he truly got physically, as in I don't know if he entered you and broke you or anything like that, but I know he was still connected to you when you started glowing an unworldly pink. Your powers flowed out of you and into him, freezing him to where he was, but there was still enough energy that it made a gigantic aura around the both of you, sending tendrils maybe 30 feet into the air. Everything, and I mean _everything_, stopped for a moment just to gaze at the awesome power you were emitting. I've never seen anything like it in my life.

"Inuyasha was close enough when the initial blast went off that he got thrown back, adding more to his injuries, and then he was set upon by more of the youkai. After that he was so busy fighting them off he never got the chance to get very close to you again. Kouga was actually the only one who got to make any physical contact with you. He had gotten those new claws of his (for any who do not know, after the anime stops it continues in the manga, and in part of it Kouga manages to get a pair of enchanted claws from the gravesite of his ancestors, only after wresting it away from the gigantic three-headed guard dog, of course) and decided to try them out for the first time at this moment. He was able to get up to you and tried to get you away from Naraku's grasp, but as soon as he touched your skin he also was repelled and nearly knocked unconscious by the force of it."

"Sesshoumaru, meanwhile, decided to take out his personal vendetta against my brother," started Sango. "After your powers initially went off Kohaku seemed distracted and so I tried to take him down without hurting him, but he got away from me. He seemed so intent on avoiding me after that, not even putting his heart into it when he had fought me. It wasn't until later that I discovered he had already regained his memory and knew who I was, so that was probably why. Sesshoumaru though simply came up behind him and popped out his Shikon shard, killing him instantly."

Sango shuddered at the memory and Miroku temporarily took over. "It seemed he had everything planned out though, as he immediately pulled out the Tenseiga. He ran it through Kohaku, but nothing happened. I think even the taiyoukai was surprised and he swung it over him a couple more times. It was the one and only time I have ever seen any flicker of emotion in that stoic youkai's face. Despite his vendetta against Naraku and Kohaku for capturing Rin, he seemed to truly want Kohaku to live again. Whether it was purely for his own curiosity - to see if someone who had been dead for so long and only kept alive by the magic of the Shikon no Tama could be revived, or because he wanted to spite Naraku by giving his lackey a life free from the entrapment of the Shikon, or because he wanted to do for Kohaku what he couldn't do for Kagura, I do not know. The point was he failed."

Sango laid her hand softly on the houshi's forearm to indicate she wanted to regain her place in the story. "Suddenly we noticed a bright orb coming closer. It took a moment to distinguish what it was, but it was actually one of Kikyou's shinidamachuu carrying a soul with it. Sesshoumaru glanced up at the light source and then swiped his sword across Kohaku's limp body one more time. This time when we looked back up we noticed that the soul was no longer hovering next to the shinidamachuu and that Kohaku's skin wasn't as pale as it had been. Over the next few seconds all of his life signs returned to normal and he got up as if nothing was wrong at all! Of course since then he's been recovering not just emotionally, but also from all the injuries he received in the battle both before and after his revival."

"Sesshoumaru pasted his bored face back on and then tossed the shard over to where Kikyou was standing behind all of us." Miroku shook his head, still in slight awe and confusion on just how everything had worked in this scenario. "She immediately purified the shard and then turned all of her attention to where you and Naraku were still surrounded by your energy. We hadn't even noticed at first, but she was standing there with an arrow pointed directly at you. We weren't sure what to do, and at first Sango moved to stop her, but right then is when Kouga was thrown in our path, having been blown away by your miko powers.

"When we looked up again your energy was actually being drawn away, and being pulled toward the arrow that Kikyou held ready in her bow. Once there was a steady stream of pink energy flowing into the arrow, Kikyou began a chant and the almost completed Shikon no Tama that was lodged in Naraku began to glow and emanate a high pitched rumbling. She finished her chant and her eyes snapped open; she let go the arrow and it seemed to be guided along the path of your energy. At first we were scared it was going to hit you, since you were the source of the energy, but it seemed almost to correct itself and hit square on where the Shikon was embedded in Naraku. The rumbling grew louder, but it was almost deafened out by Naraku's screams of pain. After a moment he was nothing more than debris littering the field, leaving both you and the Shikon no Tama in a pile of innards and charred ashes. Kikyou was the first to recover from the shock and she moved over to claim the Tama. She combined it with the piece she got from Sesshoumaru, the one that had been lodged in Kohaku's back, along with a few others she carried, and it was complete. After that she turned and gave us all a cursory glance before she said that you would recover fine, and then she just walked away."

Sango added, "That was about a month ago. After we gathered you up you actually recovered rather quickly. I think you were only in a coma about 4 days, so I don't know why you were in a coma for a full week this time."

Kaede spoke up for the first time during the discussion. "We haven't heard anything from my sister since then; not until tonight. I wonder if she knows anything about what happened and what information she might have for Inuyasha."

They sat in silence, all contemplating what had happened or what could happen after tonight. Kagome busied herself petting the kitsune snuggled in her lap. _Please come back soon, Inuyasha_.

* * *

Inuyasha wandered slightly as he made his way to the clearing to meet Kikyou. He knew he should hurry and get there as quickly as he could so that he could get back to the village as quickly as possible, but he had this strange sense of foreboding about what it was that Kikyou had to tell him. Still, he knew it was important and that it was something that was on a timeline, so he made it to the clearing just as the sun was setting.

Kikyou was already there, waiting. "Inuyasha," she called, "I'm glad you came. We have much to discuss."

"If what we're talking about it so important, then why do we gotta be alone? You have to know by now that I took Kagome as my mate."

"I do know Inuyasha, and that is why I needed to talk to you alone first. Some of this concerns both you and her, but there is also something I need to tell you first. The Shikon no Tama is no more, I made my wish."

"You did!" yelled an incredulous Inuyasha. "What did you wish?"

"This was a difficult decision, more of a burden than you know. The Shikon no Tama and I are connected, now more than ever, but it has always been my responsibility. Even when I failed to keep it from this world it was reborn in my reincarnation so that my soul could still watch over it. I knew that my wish could not be anything petty, and that I needed to find the one wish that could be so truly pure and unselfish that it truly would end the existence of the Tama.

"Inuyasha," she sighed, "my hate is dying. I was drawn into this world again by a witch, and after Kagome got part of her soul back I fed only on the negative parts of the soul, I survived on hate. I learned more of the truth as I wandered this island, and I discovered how you and I had both been tricked into betrayal. Slowly my hatred toward you has been dying, while my hatred for Naraku grew by leaps and bounds. However, now that he is dead, the source of all my hatred is gone. This body was not made to last for eons, it is disintegrating on me, and now I have lost the one thing I survived on. I no longer hate, Inuyasha, and so I am fading from this earth.

"This being said, I had to be even more careful in my wish. I would love to be able to wish for something as noble as world peace,' but even this would not be purely unselfish, because I myself _want_ to see world peace. Therefore I made the one and only wish that I could, the only one that would do good and would not benefit me, therefore fulfilling the Shikon: I wished for the return of Kagome's soul."

Inuyasha gasped and raced to Kikyou's side. "Kikyou, does that mean you are dying?"

"In a sense," she replied, a strange peace covering his face. "I would have died soon anyhow though. The reason I needed to tell you this now, face to face and alone, is because you had the right to hear this from me, and because that might not be possible later due to what happened after I made the wish. The jewel fused with my body, so once my body disintegrates wholly the jewel will no longer exist in this world. More than that, in doing so it freed the miko from within. Midoriko now inhabits this body with me, and she expends a certain amount of power keeping it functioning as long as possible. I do not have much energy left, and what I do I must use for keeping what's left of my soul attached to this vessel as long as possible. She and I both must stay until we can get the help of you and Kagome."

"Of course we will do what we can, Kikyou," he grasped Kikyou's arm, as if by this action he could keep anymore of her soul from slipping out at the moment. "What is it you need help with?"

"Midoriko was not the only one released from the Shikon no Tama."

* * *


	14. Inexplicable Fusions

**A/N:**

ArtemisMoon: Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I had initially tried to make the transition between the dream and reality a bit jarring, to give it more of the perspective of what Kagome was going through, but maybe I did a little too good and got everyone confused, ne? So I'll try to go back and do something about it. Heck, I haven't even reread any of these chapters or edited any of them, I just spit them out on paper and post em – maybe I should try a bit more editing first. sweatdrops And I'm not sure what happened with the formatting, but I went through and reposted everything (somehow a chapter was missing!) and everything should be aok now. Mediaminer is just a bit messed up I think. Oh well. And glad to see that you're back! I actually had your story "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back" on my favorites for a while, but I thought you disappeared after not updating it since October! **To anyone else reading this:** I highly suggest you read **Of Weapons and Men** – it is absolutely hilarious!

* * *

Disclaimer: I'm moving. Didn't notice Inuyasha in any of the boxes, so I guess he's not mine. Go figure.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Inexplicable Fusions

* * *

**

Last time:

"Midoriko was not the only one released from the Shikon no Tama."

* * *

Inuyasha stared at the undead miko in front of him, astonished at the words coming out of her mouth. _Could she really be dying again? Is it true she doesn't hate me anymore – doesn't hate Kagome anymore? Is it possible Midoriko could be inhabiting her body? Does Kikyou have two souls right now?_ These thoughts spun through his head but he pulled at the last one. "Kikyou, who else was released from the Shikon no Tama?" he asked hesitantly, afraid he knew the answer.

"The mutant - the conglomerate of demons I was locked into battle with for what seemed eons," she replied, her eyes suddenly sharp, her face fierce.

"I?" questioned Inuyasha, confused on Kikyou's reference to herself.

She shook her head, as if to clear it, and then smiled wistfully at him. "Hai, like I said earlier, Midoriko's soul now resides within me, and it takes a concentrated effort to keep this consciousness at the forefront. After my talk with you tonite Midoriko will be the one you talk with nearly all the time, if not always. I must make sure to conserve my energy so that this body can last until we finish our task."

"You mentioned that earlier – what is this 'task''?"

Kikyou looked at him like he'd suddenly grown a hole in his head. "To get rid of that bastard demon of course," she stated matter of factly, surprised he'd even had to ask her.

"And how do you do that?" he snapped at her. He did not take well to feeling stupid.

She studied him with such a penetrating stare he suddenly felt like his very soul was naked to her. "That is where you and your mate come in," she said, straightening up and her gaze returning to normal, "and something I must talk to the both of you about."

Inuyasha's eyes burned against his eyelids – he didn't like where she was going with this. No sooner had he opened his mouth to speak when Kikyou cut him off. "Inuyasha, as I explained before I no longer carry any hate in my life. This is not a time for such petty things. Even if I desired to rekindle my hatred the other soul with me would not allow it – there are more pressing matters at hand. Meet me tomorrow," she said, not permitting for any doubt, "I will find the two of you in my sister's village." Her eyes turned sad as she watched him and Inuyasha thought he saw a flicker of regret pass through those once-bright orbs.

"Kikyou," he began, placing one hesitant hand on her arm, "if I do not get to see _you_ again," emphasizing speaking with her soul as opposed to Midoriko's," then…goodbye." She looked up at him in amazement as he gave her a brief, very light hug. When he released her she would no longer look him in the eye, but turned away. "Hai Inuyasha…goodbye," she whispered, knowing he would catch it. Then squaring her shoulders she stood tall and walked into the forest, leaving Inuyasha alone to stew in his own thoughts.

_Kikyou, what on earth do you need Kagome and I for in this? Midoriko was strong enough to capture the demon inside the Shikon no Tama, so why does she need help now that they're both out? And why must Kagome be dragged into this – hasn't she gone through enough already? I promise to protect her and we only get pulled into more and more shit!_ "Kuso!" he yelled. Enough of this, thinking about it wouldn't get him anywhere, so now to go find his mate.

Coming upon the village his nose was assaulted with Kagome's scent, heralding that she was somewhere outdoors. Another breeze passed and it hit him – the vague smell of saltiness; she had been crying earlier. _Kuso, every time I go off to see Kikyou – but it's supposed to be different now that we're mates!_

Inuyasha approached Kaede's hut and found her sitting on the front step, knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped securely around them, and with her chin resting on her knees, her hair falling into her face and obscuring her eyes. In short, Kagome's typical 'I'm thinking about something not entirely pleasant' stance. Almost as transparent as Inuyasha's 'I'm pissed off, my ego's hurt, and I don't want to talk' stance with his arms folded and usually accompanied by a "keh."

When she finally became aware of his presence, Kagome tilted her head until she could see him and twisted her lips up in greeting. His heart stopped to see her smile and he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief even though he noticed it was laced with a hint of sadness and worry.

They stayed motionless, looking at each other until Kagome stood and began to walk toward the forest. Inuyasha was stunned that Kagome would leave him without saying a word, but then he felt a tug on his hand and spun as he was being dragged behind her. He quickly caught up and they walked in companionable silence. Or so Inuyasha thought at first. If there was one thing Kagome wasn't, it was quiet – she was only like this when something was really wrong.

He squeezed her hand, pulling her to a stop and turned her until he held her face in his other hand. "What is it, koi?"

He expected her to be her usual dodgy self and look around the forest floor while trying to avoid his question. He was unprepared when she looked him dead in the eye and asked the last thing he expected to hear. "Are you disgusted by me?"

"What?" he yelled. Bringing his voice back down to a normal decibel level he said, "Of course I'm not disgusted by you! If I was, why would I have just called you koi and be holding you like this?" he rubbed his thumb across her cheek for added emphasis.

"Because you're sadistic?"

He glared at her and she managed a slight laugh.

"Inuyasha," she sighed, "I just don't want you to feel like you're _obligated_ to be with me. I –"

She was cut off as a pair of warm lips swallowed her next words. Although the kiss was brief, Kagome felt her heart racing –Inuyasha could feel it too, judging by the smug look on his face.

"It would be work to _not_ love you Kagome. How could something so easy and natural be an obligation?"

The confusion and doubt still lingered in her eyes, but Inuyasha was seeing the brightness start to restore itself.

"So you don't mind that I was…touched by Naraku?" she asked hesitantly.

Inuyasha groaned and rolled his head back. "Is that what this is about? Who told you? You shouldn't have to know that yet. It was that damn monk wasn't it? He's dead when I get back to the hut!"

Kagome stilled his tirade with a hand on his lips. "I'm glad to know." She giggled as he kissed the fingers pressed up against his mouth. "Well, I guess that clears up that part," she said.

"That part? There's more?" Inuyasha redirected his attention from her fingers back onto her face, noting immediately that her eyes were clouding over.

"The thing is…I…you…why didn't you mark me?" Tears were shining in her eyes as she asked what had been on her mind all day.

"Why didn't I do _what_?" he asked, confused as the dickens.

"You took me as your mate, took me physically – well, tried at least – "she blushed, "- but you didn't give me your mating mark. Why!" she cried out, the tears pouring over.

Inuyasha steadied her with a hand on each shoulder. "Kagome, I still have no idea what you're talking about! Is this some sort of future thing?"

"No – you baka!" she screamed. "I'm talking about your youkai mating mark – the thing that shows you want me as a mate and not just a concubine!" Kagome ripped her face away from his hand, turning slightly away from him. Inuyasha raised both trembling hands to her face, forcibly turning her back to him, even though he felt all his energy had been drained from him by her words. He spoke barely above a whisper, his voice still retaining its fierceness.

"I wouldn't make you my concubine, Kagome. Never, I could never do that to you! I love you and you are my mate – you are just going to have to trust that!"

She stood quietly as his words sank in.

"There is no such thing as a youkai mating mark," he continued. "Scent is enough to show the beast side of any youkai who belongs to who. So I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Kagome reached out at Inuyasha, clasped her hands behind his back, and pulled herself to him, burying her face in his chest. She was desperate to believe everything he was telling her, but she was still so confused by the power of her dream.

"I told the others about my dream – everything. Kaede thinks there is special significance to what happened and that maybe it was more of a vision than a dream." She snuggled in a bit closer to him, not yet ready to see his reaction.

"You marked me there and explained that it would be better if I scarred before we had sex," she was glad her face was buried in his haori to hide the burning shade of red she must be, "since the mating would make me able to heal myself more quickly. But the marking itself was so…so…"

She pulled back until she could see his face, and when he saw the passion in her eyes it was all he could do to keep himself from coming down on her in a crushing, all-consuming kiss. Instead he contented himself placing nibbling bites all over her face, working his way from her cheek down until he was at her neck. "Explain it to me," he exhaled between kisses, and the combination of his warm breath caressing her bare skin, coupled with the location he was focusing on – ironic considering the topic – made her shiver in delight.

"The mark goes right there, where you're kissing me right now," she mumbled, trying everything she could to keep her mind focused and not become a ball of putty.

"Right here, huh?" he replied, pulling back enough to rake one clawed finger across the delicate skin, sending yet another chill up Kagome's spine.

"Yes," she whispered as his lips reclaimed their previous spot. One hand stayed on his back while the other climbed to wrap itself in his silken mane. _Dang_, she realized, _I need more focus power!_

"The mark was to symbolize a lifelong commitment and served as a sort of pre-bond to the actual mating. I know that after mating I would at least have some of your healing powers, I'm not sure about anything else. In the dream you told me that the woman will sometimes mark the man too, but that I didn't need to worry about it since I was ningen and you were essentially my master and all. Besides, you'd said it might offend my sensibilities – and in the dream I think you were right, although now I wouldn't particularly mind."

Inuyasha's tongue stilled in its trek across her shoulder as he remembered something. "Earlier you said 'scar,' it had to be done before the actual mating so it had a better chance of leaving a scar. What exactly is this mark?"

Kagome lowered her head to his level and caught her eyes with his. "A bite," she said, pointing. "You bit me right here and then lapped up my blood."

Inuyasha had to squelch the growl that threatened to escape his throat. Normally the thought of hurting Kagome or of seeing her blood would do anything but entice him – after all, he had seen her bloody on multiple occasions and the sight had done nothing of the sort. But now the thought was making his own blood boil and he wanted nothing more than to feed his youkai within and taste his bitch. First he had to know something though…

"Kagome, you're not just doing this because of the dream, are you? I mean, you keep referring to it like it was more real than this life, and like I was something really amazing there. But I'm just me, fucking hanyou who says things wrong and hurts you, and this is what you're stuck with – not some fantasy. Just because we tried to mate before you had this dream doesn't mean you _have_ to stick with it if you want something different now."

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Did he really mean that?_ But she went from incredulous to mad in an instant. "Well guess what, baka? I'm not giving up so easily! I'm in love with you and I'm going to stick with you and we will figure this out. I don't care how long it takes – I will not abandon you. The only way I will back down is if you tell me right now that it's too much for you and you don't want to deal with it and would prefer to find another mate, although I must warn you – now that I have you (well, kind of) I will not give up without a fight. It's taken me too long to get this far. So what is it Inuyasha; what do you want to do?"

He looked down at her and realized that even if he _had_ wanted to change his mind to save her pain, there was no way he could do that now. Her anger and possessiveness had made her gorgeous: her skin was flushed, her eyes were wide, her hair was strewn around her head and fell wildly down her back and her deep, panting breaths brought attention to her slightly parted lips…he was falling in love with her all over again. She just claimed him against all odds, against time, against the fates themselves that segregated their auras for some reason – how could he back down from that and not do the same? Especially when she deserved so much more.

He reached out a hand and grabbed her behind her neck, crushing his lips against hers. He let flow into that kiss all of his pain, anger, frustration, and finally all of his love as he whispered promises in Kagome's ear of how they would get through this. "Because no matter what I'll protect you." He smiled against her skin, that gorgeous, throbbing skin next to her pulse point, the place that meant so much to her in her dream and called out to him now. He began to lightly nip at the area again, gauging her reaction to what he was contemplating doing.

"Should I, Kagome?"

She fisted her hands in his hair, both in nervousness and eager anticipation, but nodded her assent, shivering as she felt his tongue dart out and graze the sensitive skin.

He vaguely wondered if this would actually hurt much, but seeing as how she was the one who breached the topic – and judging by the look in her eyes when she spoke of it – he gathered she wouldn't care too much. His courage mustered, his youkai screaming to be released, and he brushed his tongue over her one more time before suddenly clamping his fangs down on her shoulder and relishing the feeling of her jumping beneath him.

_It stings_, was his only coherent thought and his body almost betrayed him and pulled back, but the additional taste of her blood was too delicious, the feel of her body against his too precious. Regardless, Inuyasha had to hold still a minute and let his reeling senses get used to the needle-like sensations that her blood caused to run all over his tongue. Sensing his hesitation, Kagome asked, "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Finally releasing his fangs from her skin he replied, "Nothing's wrong, your blood just burns me a little bit; must be your miko powers." Kagome knotted her hands in his hair, worried about the effect of her energy on him, but stilled when he sucked up the first drops of blood that dripped from her wound. "You taste so good, koi," he whispered against her skin and resumed lapping up the delicious red liquid that was now gushing from her, causing her to shudder under his attentions.

They didn't notice anything other than each other as the night wore on.

* * *

Kagome woke many hours later, nestled in the warmth of Inuyasha's arms. She rubbed her eyes groggily with one hand, noticing her other was stuck on something. Following the path of her arm she found that the missing hand was not only entangled in Inuyasha's haori, but had somehow found its way inside and was curved slightly around his back, pressed up against his smooth skin. At the same moment she noticed two golden eyes gazing at her, and realizing he must've been awake for a while – if he'd even slept at all – she 'yip'd in embarrassment and quickly withdrew her hand.

When he didn't even snicker at her reaction she shyly glanced back up at him and noticed the serious demeanor he held. "We have something to do today, Kagome," he said. She just nodded and casually began to stroke his hair in her effort to encourage him to go on.

"You may not like it, but we need to meet with Kikyou today..." Kagome's hand stilled momentarily but then she continued, still listening. "…Well sort of Kikyou, but not really anymore…"

Kagome shot him a questioning glance, wondering what the heck he could mean by a 'sort of Kikyou.'

"Ok, ok, I'll start over." He took a breath to calm his nerves. Kagome wasn't taking this bad, not yet at least, so he needed to explain it well.

"Kikyou made a wish on the Shikon no Tama. You know the rule, the wish must be perfectly pure and unselfish, and the only thing Kikyou could do that fit that was to wish for your soul back." Kagome audibly gasped but didn't say a word, wanting to hear what more he would say.

"The Shikon fused with Kikyou's body, as did Midoriko's soul. Kikyou's soul hasn't been completely transferred to you yet, because without the soul Kikyou's body disintegrates (which it's kind of doing anyhow) and Midoriko has no place to stay in. Thing is, Midoriko apparently needs you and I to take care of some problem she has. Wouldn't say what the problem was, wanted you to be there as well, so Kikyou said she'd find us today in Kaede's village."

Inuyasha swore he could see the wheels turning in Kagome's mind as she contemplated all he'd just told her. Then suddenly she turned to him with one of her ridiculously bright smiles and said, "I guess we better get a move on then, huh? Did she say what time today?"

He shook his head, stunned at how well she took the news, but his shock soon turned to a smirk. He sure had picked himself one hell of a mate.

Quickly he got up, righting Kagome at the same time with his hold on her waist. Then he turned in front of her and crouched, signaling for her to get on his back. With a flash they were off toward Kaede's village, just as they saw the sun rising.

* * *

The two now sat in front of Kikyou, Midoriko, whatever it was appropriate to call her now. She had come a mere 15 minutes after Kagome and Inuyasha arrived in the village, and they had the sense that she did not have much time to spare. The others in the group, Miroku, Sango, Kaede, Shippo, and even Kirara had wanted to stay, but had been shooed away, still only going willingly after Kikyou had said she would call them to join the three soon. After that the three sat in Kaede's hut, and Kagome and Inuyasha waited in silence for the undead miko to speak.

"Didn't you ever wonder why this was called the Jewel of _Four_ Souls?" she began suddenly. "Depending on how you count it, only 2 souls (or a multitude more if you count each individual demon that combined to make up my enemy) made up the Shikon no Tama. So why four? Because Baratu – that is the vile hanyou's name –and I could not finish it ourselves. The problem would not fade until two more souls intervened.

"The Shikon no Tama bonded you to each other through your adventures, but it also bonded you to me. The combination of your two souls is the only suitable one that can rise to the challenge I must place before you. Why else would the Shikon stay dormant in Kagome's body the first 15 years of her life? Mistress Centipede could not have come through that well at just any time she so wished. In fact, did you never find it strange that she was able to travel through the well at all? She had no shards, for the complete jewel still resided deep within your body, Kagome. The Tama itself called out to her and allowed her through, allowed you to meet Inuyasha and start your journey.

"Kagome, your bond with Inuyasha is special, and it has no relation to Kikyou. You weren't her first reincarnation, you know. The soul that once was Kikyou's has traveled many places and has seen many things. Through those other lives and experiences it has changed, maturing and gaining new understandings on _how_ and _why_ to live. Your soul is older and wiser Kagome – and it is no longer the same one that was housed inside Kikyou. That is one reason why the change in her was so drastic after Urasue transferred part of your soul back to her – her body did not recognize it because it had changed so much, and it was a bit of a shock.

"Most importantly, you have learned when to hold on and when to let go, and also that love _is_ the most important thing in the world. Nothing else compares to its healing powers – just look at the hanyou next to you. You see the power in it and not the weakness. That is why I know you and Inuyasha will be the ones able to succeed where others could not."

"What do you mean, succeed? And who else has tried? And just what the hell is it we're supposed to do!" Inuyasha didn't like suspense either.

Kikyou, demeanor calm as ever, continued. "I need you to track down and kill Baratu."

"WHAT!" both Inuyasha and Kagome yelled at the same time. "Why do you need us? Why can't you…" Kagome began.

Kikyou, who was becoming more Midoriko-like with every passing moment, shushed her with a wave of her hands. "Obviously the hanyou and I were at a stalemate. Otherwise I would have simply killed him instead of entrapping both of us inside the jewel that has caused so many other problems. No, I was not strong enough on my own."

"But…Midoriko…" Kagome tried the new name, hesitating when she still saw Kikyou's body sitting in front of her, "you were the strongest miko who ever lived. How can we do anything that you could not?"

"You are right in that I was the strongest miko. Yet things change. You by yourself are not stronger than I was in my prime, but I am not asking you to be that strong alone. No, you need someone else." She looked pointedly at Inuyasha, who balked and swallowed hard.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Of course I'll protect Kagome and help her in anything. I've been doing it all along anyhow, so why would I stop now?"

"Yes, that's what I'm counting on, but there is more to it than that," Midoriko said cryptically. "Have you figured out yet why you were unable to couple?"

Inuyasha folded his arms with a "keh" while Kagome turned red on every visible part of her body. "How…how did you know about that?"

"I've been living in the spirit world for countless centuries now, dear. I've was equipped with senses beyond that of a normal human, or even a normal miko, and much of that stayed with me, and I can sense it now as I sit with the two of you. More than that, my consciousness was imbedded in every part of the Shikon no Tama and I know everything that has happened with any of its carriers. I have been with you both since the very beginning of this journey, and have watched you in many different ways."

"Okay, Okay. Kind of creepy, but fine," interjected Inuyasha, and effectively changing the subject. He had some odd feeling he didn't want to know yet. "So how are we supposed to help you?"

"To destroy Baratu you must combine your powers, your auras. Actually, that's not even as much to destroy him as to just _find_ him."

"What do you mean…_find_ him?" asked Inuyasha cautiously.

"As I mentioned earlier, he was released from the Shikon no Tama just as I was, for us to resolve our battle here, in a world where there would be enough powerful pure hearts to aid the battle. However, just as my soul was deposited in Kikyou's body, Baratu's soul was deposited in the body of another demon. I cannot sense his aura, because it is only radiating that of the body he is inhabiting. That is why it is so necessary to have both miko _and_ youkai combined – only then can we track him down.

"Despite his aura being overridden by the host body, there will still underneath everything, be a faint but unmistakable scent and energy that can only be his. However, just one by itself could be chalked up to coincidence or merely his influence. You can each detect one of those qualities, but have separate consciences. In order for this information to meld you two must also meld: there must be a bit of miko in the youkai and a bit of youkai in the miko. This has never been done before, and I am sorry but I do not know how to tell you to do it. Fully mating would be the best option, it is the deepest link that can be forged between two people and the auras fully meld, but you obviously cannot do that."

"Excuse me, Miss Midoriko…or Kikyou…I'm not even sure what to call you?" asked Kagome.

"Either will do. It is not the name that holds my identity," she answered stoically.

"Um…okay. I know we cannot complete the mating ritual and that you seem to know all about that, so do you happen to know _why_ our energies are attacking each other? I mean, why in the world are my miko powers flaring out against someone I love more than anything?"

"Your powers think they are protecting you, Kagome."

"Protecting me? Protecting me from what?" She wasn't sure she'd ever been more confused in her life.

"From the advances of a youkai. Do you think this is a common thing? It is rare enough for a youkai and a normal human to mate, let alone a youkai and a miko – whose job it is to heal and to protect, to hunt down rogue youkai. With miko being exclusively female, they have had a precarious position over the years, mostly traveling alone while tracking down dangerous youkai. How often did one of these miko get cornered by a youkai who decided he wanted to 'punish' the little miko with a bit of pleasure for himself?" Midoriko shuddered slightly at the thought. "Rape is never a pretty thing, and if it ever happened in any of these cases if the miko was left alive she would probably lose sanity and/or all of her miko powers. That is why the energy manifests itself in a way that protects against this very thing, and it attacks any youkai who gets within the miko's core."

"But how could that really help since the attack against Inuyasha also drained me. I was unconscious for longer than he was, so that wouldn't really protect me if I was in some remote location."

"Of course, there may be multiple reasons for that. First of all, the miko powers may have been able to sense if others were in a reasonable distance, or even sent out an energy reading to the nearest miko. More than that, I believe, even in its rush to protect you from the 'ravaging youkai,' I think your powers sensed your love, sense of security, and desire to protect the one with you. It responded to that and spent a good amount of energy deliberately holding itself back and using caution. From the stories I heard when I was a young girl myself, the youkai who attacked mikos were far worse off. Some never woke up; others were found laying in pieces covering a two ri radius. It only took a few times before the youkai got the message and stopped that form of attack." She paused for a moment, looking carefully back and forth between the hanyou and miko seated in front of her, their fingers interlocked. She _knew_ they'd be able to do it.

"This is something you'll have to figure out on your own. Seems you are on the right track though," she smiled, arching an eyebrow at Kagome.

"Wha…what do you mean?" She sputtered.

"It's barely there, so small that even I can scarcely notice it. _You_, Inuyasha, are slightly tinged with a miko's aura."

"WHAT!" came a collective yell from just outside the door.

Midoriko shook her head and chuckled humorously. "You may all come in now," she announced.

The room suddenly became a whirlwind of chaos as everyone rushed in at once, Kaede curiously eying the woman who once was her sister, Miroku rushing over to pat Inuyasha on the back and elbow him joshingly in the ribs, receiving a smack on the head, Sango and Shippo rushing over to Kagome to see how she was doing, Kirara just waltzing in lazily, shaking her head at the crazy love that was her adoptive family.

Shippo's wail suddenly cut through the din as the pitch of his voice rose. "Kagome, are you hurt? Why do you smell like blood!" He was scrabbling at the collar of her shirt, trying to get a glimpse of her wound. His tiny hands brushed against it in his commotion, causing Kagome to draw in a sharp breath, effectively stopping the prying digits.

He was even more surprised as Inuyasha raised from his place on the ground sitting next to Kagome and growled directly into the young kits face. "Back Off!" he yelled, watching Shippo scramble behind Kagome into Sango's arms.

Kagome put her hand on Inuyasha's bicep to calm him and he immediately took his former sitting position with a huff.

Kaede turned to him. "Do ye Inuyasha know why Kagome has a wound and smells of blood?"

No one expected the two in question to turn bright red. Inuyasha just crossed his arms while Kagome fidgeted with the tie of her sailor shirt. "You would do well to tell them. I have a feeling this may be tied to that slight miko essence I can sense in you Inuyasha."

Kaede tilted her head at her sister's words. "Kikyou, I have been studying Inuyasha since I walked into this room, after hearing your words the first time. I can in no way detect anything in him other than the same youkai and human auras he has had for the last 50 some odd years."

"I wouldn't expect you to be able to see it yet, sister. I only am able to do so because of my long exposure to the spirit world, and because I have been waiting for centuries to see something like this. Now please, you two, tell us of the wound."

After another "Keh" from Inuyasha, Kagome realized she was the one who would have to explain everything. "Inuyasha marked me," she whispered, hoping those words were self-explanatory. From the questioning gazes she saw around the room, obviously they were not.

"It was something from my dream," she continued on, still fiddling with her hands in her lap and not looking up. "I thought it was part of this world too, but it's not. It's a mating symbol for youkai. I felt so strongly about it that Inuyasha did it for me. He bit me right here," she raised her hand and laid it softly on the spot Shippo had been sniffing at, "and then licked up the blood that dripped out of the puncture marks." At the memory of the even she turned an even deeper shade of red and could not keep her eyes from wandering over to Inuyasha's silent form.

Miroku, unfortunately, correctly interpreted her look. "Why my friend!" he started, motioning to Inuyasha, "who would know you could be so romantic! And who knew a bit could be so sensual. Would you care to try that my beloved Sango?" His eyes wandered over to the taijiya by his side, but before he could move any further he was hit upside the head by a forceful hand. He knew he should be used to this by now, and though the hits weren't as hard now that he and Sango were to be married, he couldn't keep the silly grin from plastering itself on his face.

"So is it possible the blood held enough of Kagome's energy to transfer some essence without assaulting him?"

"That would explain why her blood stung a little." Everyone was surprised to hear Inuyasha speak, who for all purposes looked like he was still sulking. Kagome grabbed one of his hands in hers. With his arms unraveled from his chest he looked a bit less petulant.

"Kaede, perhaps you were right when you said my dream had some prophetic powers to it. Maybe it was my powers trying to reach out to me, to give me some kind of hint. Perhaps it understands the urgency of needing to track down Baratu, if nothing else. But whatever it is, we will not give up." She determinedly squeezed the hand gripped in her own, smiling when he returned the gesture. "Is there anything else Midoriko?"

"No, that is enough for the moment. Now I just wish to speak with my sister."

Before Kagome could even move to stand up, Inuyasha had one arm snaked around her shoulders and the other moving beneath her knees as he stood, and in one smooth motion picked her up with him.

"We'll just be going then. We've got work to do," he announced with a snicker she could feel in his chest and a mischievous glint only she could see in his eye. She didn't even get a word of thanx or goodbye out before they were out the door.

* * *

Ri – a unit of measure for distance.

Kuso – shit

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A/N:

To clear up any other confusion there may be:

This is now the normal, canon Sengoku Jidai we all know and love from the manga and anime. There may be small differences here and there, because hey – this is fanfic and I'm the author and I get to do what I want! Yippee! So if you're worried about any differences I'm putting in just lemme know. If it's something I can change for ya, I will, but some things may just have to lay the way they are. Hope you guys are enjoying!

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	15. Completion

**_A/N:_**

**_I apologize immensely for being so behind! I was actually held up all summer by family, not just a couple weeks like I thought. Now I'm working out the final chapter (or two?), but it's just taking a long time to write. I already have about 14 pages down, so please bear with me. I promise it's coming, just taking a bit. I have no intention of giving up! Yay!_**

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**A/N: **Since changing from my old penname, I lost all the old reviews on So I would just like to stick in a quick note here to thank all those who reviewed under the old name:

INU-KAGLOVER, Akihanah, Zirra Nova, Inu-Kag15, Kittypaws182, baka onna, GODDESS878S723, inu yashas witch, fluffypants, Eartha, xxstarrydreamzxx, NordicaVB, Hayashi Panthera, mikeslikb, foreverlove

You reviewers are what keep me with this silly story.

P.S. I'm going out of town for the rest of the month. Gonna visit with some cousins and such family-ness, so won't have a chance to update. I'm going to _try_ to get the rest of this out before I leave, seeing as there should be only one, maybe two more chapters left. We'll see. Also working on continuation to 'Shrine Prostitute' since it seems to somehow be so smashingly popular, but I doubt that'll get out before I leave. Still, one can dream, ne?

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**Lemon warning**. (email me if problem and i will fix)

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Disclaimer: Only mine if I somehow get adopted by the lovely lady herself and receive an inheritance…oh wait, I think I'm too old to be adopted. Oh well.

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**Chapter 15: Completion

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It had been four days since their last meeting. Only four days, yet it had felt like an eternity at the same time.**

Inuyasha and Kagome were not in the village much, and when they were the others would notice new bite marks, cut marks, hickeys, and things of the like sporting on their necks. Kagome had a dreamy look in her eyes and giggled a bit more than usual, which meant _a lot_, and Inuyasha wasn't quite as gruff. Of course, that wasn't to say he didn't still chase Shippo around after getting pestered by the furball. And now, with everything going on, Miroku was having a hayday with lecherous comments he could use to torment the easily embarrassed hanyou. Simple things like 'You look rather happy this morning, my friend,' or 'Looking a little tired – not getting much sleep at night, eh? wink wink' were enough to drive Inuyasha insane with their not-so-subtle insinuations.

This morning as the couple rambled into the village Miroku couldn't help but chuckle at the bright red bite mark Inuyasha was sporting on his neck. From what Sango had gotten out of Kagome it seemed that at first she either couldn't get herself to bite her mate, or just couldn't do enough damage with her human teeth, so Inuyasha would make a small cut in his shoulder from which she could take his blood. Miroku was still astonished at just how quickly he had seen a transformation in her. Apparently now she had enough of her fangs formed that she could easily pierce through Inuyasha's skin.

The houshi just shook his head – the hanyou approaching him was near glowing with pride in the mark he bore from his mate. A quick jolt of jealousy surged through him and he shot a glance at Sango, longingly wishing their time would come. A rustle of movement from Kaede's hut quickly drew his attention from such thoughts as two mikos emerged from the entrance.

Kaede and Midoriko had been closeting themselves in the hut more and more the past few days, which was a bit disconcerting to Miroku. He didn't wholly complain, since with the mikos occupied and Inuyasha and Kagome off in la-la land somewhere else, he had plenty of alone time with Sango, whenever he could distract the kit with some petty project. Still, there was something in the air that spoke of a pregnant brooding.

At first he had tried to write off Kaede and Midoriko's time together as a sort of last time for 'sister-bonding.' However, the body shared by two souls was becoming progressively less and less like Kikyou and more and more like Midoriko. Occasionally, and more often the last couple of days, he had felt tremendous miko energy coming from the hut, and while he had his suspicions on what was occurring, he didn't share them with anybody. Regardless, despite all the eagerness due to the slightly visible auras now shared between Inuyasha and Kagome (still so slight that he could only glimpse a faint shadow of it, but something Kaede was becoming able to see), there was an overwhelming sense of apprehension he just couldn't shake.

Seeing as how all the others were now converging toward him he plastered on a fake smile and waved a cheery good morning to everyone. Kagome immediately responded, but came short when she glanced the looks on the two miko's faces. One look at them and Miroku surmised that they must have been thinking the same thoughts as he only a few seconds ago. The seriousness was not lost on anyone present.

Kaede started by clearing her throat. "I'm sorry to tell you, but we are running short on time," she inclined her head slightly toward Midoriko. "Kikyou's soul is fading faster than we originally anticipated. We have been doing all we can to keep her energy output at a minimum, and I have even been doing regular transfers of energy into her body."

Miroku's eyebrows lifted up in realization. So _that's_ what he'd been feeling. It also explained why Kaede had appeared even more haggard and tired as of late. But if they were running this short on time, then that would mean…

Midoriko spoke up where Kaede had left off. "We must find Baratu…_now_. Or rather, _you_, must go find him," she said, speaking to Inuyasha and Kagome. "I must save all of my energy for the final battle. Even then, I can only hope that it will be enough."

Kagome eyed her nervously. "Are you sure we're ready? That we'll be able to sense him?"

Midoriko closed her eyes and tilted her face up slightly, focusing on the presence of their auras. "You are not quite as far along as I would hope, but it is enough and will suffice. Inuyasha, you may be better adapted to this, since for one you have been tracking all your life while Kagome has only been doing it the past few years, and two because you are used to working with mixtures in your system. Although you don't realize it because it comes naturally to you, since you have always dealt with the mixture of human and youkai blood, you are likely to pick up more easily on the combination of aura and scent. Do not disregard the instincts of your mate though," she warned.

Stepping closer to him she asked, "Have you noticed how this body's scent changed after I merged with Kikyou?"

"Keh, of course woman. I am part inu youkai, you know." He crossed his arms in mock indignation.

"Yes, I know that Inuyasha, and that is what I am counting on," Midoriko responded. "Baratu's scent will change the body he inhabits too, although in a slightly different way. This body was dead, and smelled more of burial soil and bones than of a living soul. Still, it should give you an idea of what change you are looking for. More than that, Baratu's scent will be similar to that of mine."

When she received a questioning glance from everyone present she chuckled lightly. "Not what you think. Being trapped in the Shikon no Tama for so many years did many things to us. We were the only ones in there, and prolonged contact slowly molded our scents together. It is similar in the way that families smell alike. Part of that is due to blood, but much of it is also due to proximity, in the same way you can tell who is mated to whom without the need of a mark." Her smile reached her eyes as Kagome blushed slightly.

"However, we also more or less merged with the Shikon no Tama. We became a part of it, and it a part of us. Some of my scent you are gathering right now is that of the Shikon, and Baratu will bear the same. If you focus on that it may help."

Inuyasha had already turned with a hand motion that Miroku could only interpret as his version of "Yeah, Yeah," and knelt down in front of Kagome when Kaede cleared her throat once again, causing the duo to pause.

"You need go no further than 30 ri in all directions during your search. Baratu, after living in the Shikon for so long, cannot exist very far from it and the source of its creation. The search should not take you more than today," she added, thankful since they were so short on time due to the condition of Kikyou's soul and body.

Kagome was on Inuyasha's back and he was already bounding down the path out of the village before Kaede called out her last warning. "Remember – only find the monster – don't try to fight it Inuyasha! Midoriko-sama must be present!"

With another backward wave of his hand, Inuyasha and Kagome disappeared into the trees, leaving the others to their anxious thoughts for the rest of the day.

* * *

Hours after dark, Kagome and an obviously frustrated Inuyasha returned from their hunt and stomped up to the waiting group. Never one to conceal his anger or frustration well, Inuyasha let it right out.

"Oi, baba!" he addressed Kaede, still a bit uneasy about addressing the new soul housing Kikyou's body. "I thought you said he would be within 30 ri! We didn't catch a fucking whiff of him anywhere! Or did you just lie to us and we're not ready to sense that bastard yet!"

Kaede exchanged a knowing glance with her one-time sister, sighing heavily. "I was afraid of this." She turned back to Inuyasha, addressing him full in the face. "Neither of us lied to you Inuyasha, you should be able to trust that by now. There is one other possibility of where Baratu is hiding, and though we knew of this we did not mention it until now because we hoped against all hope that it wouldn't be true." She paused, noting the confusion in so many eyes, and the irritation in Inuyasha's.

"Well..." Inuyasha baited her, annoyed with her pause. "What is it then!" he snapped.

"There is only one other place that Baratu could be…and that is the Miko Holy Grounds."

Miroku was the first one to find his voice. "Pardon me, but what is this place? As a monk I assume I would know anything about a miko holy place?"

Midoriko spoke up for the first time. "Ah yes, as a monk you would know about any _normal_ holy ground, but this goes much beyond any site such as the mountain where you found Naraku had been hiding, reforming his body. This place has passed so far into legend it's almost believed to not exist anywhere other than in word and thought. However, this situation proves that it must be real, since this is the only other alternative we have."

Inuyasha growled. "You are not making sense, miko."

"The miko holy ground is a place that has existed since the beginning of time, and still remains untouched by it. It is part of the earth and yet not part it, existing in harmony with nature and all around it. The miko reflects this relationship in her ties with nature and also the energy of the supernatural, drawing power from both the earth and the heavens. This place, however, is beyond surreal. It is almost a glimpse of the world as it should be, if everything were at peace."

With a gasp Kagome's hand flew over her mouth. "_It's more – a glimpse of the world as it should be – a place void of hate, pain, sorrow, loneliness…"_ She had heard those words before. (memory from chapter 9: the sakura grove and lies.)

Midoriko paused as Inuyasha's eyes filled with concern for his mate. He gently grabbed her hand from her mouth and drew her eyes up to his. "What is it?" he asked her.

"The sakura grove…" she answered shakily, "she's talking about the sakura grove!"

Multiple sets of eyes turned simultaneously to stare at her in astonishment. Kaede voiced the question they all had. "Does that mean ye have seen this place before, child?"

"Hai," Kagome answered hesitantly, slightly embarrassed. "In my dream, I came across such a place twice. The first time was the entrance to the youkai village, and ended up being what calmed my rampaging miko energy. The second place was much more powerful in its presence. It was on the edge of the village and encompassed the largest Sakura grove I've ever seen."

Kaede was astonished at the power that must have been present through this girl's dream. She had never imagined her latent miko talents would be so potent. "Kagome, did I not tell you that your dream had predictive abilities? Your powers revealed to you a place that not even Midoriko knows the location of, a place that we thought legend until today. Assuming the layout of the world is the same here as it was in your dream, would you be able to find the Sakura grove again?"

Kagome slowly nodded. "It might take me a bit to retrace my steps, but I think I could do it. At the very least I would be able to find the first spot and that should be able to lead me to the Sakura grove."

"But Midoriko-sama," spoke up Sango, "how would a creature as vile as Baratu be able to hide in such a holy place and not be devoured by its power?"

"Yes, that is a hard question. I think the main point is that we must challenge all the beliefs we have ever grown up with. In an 'ideal' world, there would be no good and evil fighting against each other, no strife or pain, or anything of the sort. This holy ground must exist as a place of peace and healing, non-prejudiced against those who come into it. As long as Baratu is only hiding there, and not acting up in any non-peaceful manner, he is not a threat to the holy ground."

Midoriko stopped, looking pensively around her before locking eyes with Kaede, a silent communication occurring between them. Slowly she nodded. "If all those with miko powers will please enter the hut, we must focus our energy and see what alternate solutions may be found."

"But Midoriko, don't I just need to find the Sakura grove again? What do you mean we need an alternative?" Kagome asked, confusion apparent in her face.

"Hai, child." Kaede answered for her. "If it comes to that, it comes to that. However, if at all possible, we'd like to confront Baratu in a different manner."

Inuyasha did not like what he could tell she was leaving out of her words, and the overwhelming apprehension ripped an almost inaudible growl from his throat. He stopped when he felt a light touch on his arm. "Don't worry, koi," Kagome whispered. "We beat Naraku, we can beat Baratu too. Whatever we need to do, we'll do."

Somehow those words did nothing to assuage his fears, but he didn't let any of it show, just crossing his arms and glaring at the hut where the three miko were entering.

Midoriko turned at the door and held her hands up to bar the way as Miroku made to enter behind her. "I'm sorry Miroku, but in this situation only miko energy can be tapped, and the energy source a monk draws from is slightly different. Besides, we will need you to guard the village. Such a conglomeration of power, especially with the resonance of the Shikon no Tama coming from my body, we are likely to be attacked during this session. You and Sango should take up posts."

His gaze curiously shot to the hanyou, whose ears were flicking back and forth with the mention of possible attack and battle. Turning back to Midoriko he silently asked why she hadn't mentioned Inuyasha, only Sango and himself?

Midoriko answered by calling to the red-clad statue: "Inuyasha, when were you thinking of gracing us with your presence?"

Both Inuyasha's and Miroku's jaws dropped, and Inuyasha, of course recovering much more quickly, stalked over to her and asked "What the hell do you mean?"

"You are part miko now, in case you had missed the point of your blood-sharing with Kagome. That means your presence will also help. Above that, Kagome shares part of your youkai aura and we need the shared miko energy to recognize you as an ally. Otherwise her help, let alone yours, will not be fully accepted."

Inuyasha had no reply so he simply swept past the woman in the doorway and sat down roughly next to his mate. Miroku smiled at the back of his friend's head, marveling at how someone originally so angry and hurt could be turned to such a powerful ally, able to do things none of them were. _And here he may be one of the four souls to complete the course of the Shikon no Tama_.

Quickly he turned, going to where Sango was keeping Kirara and Shippo occupied, and told her of the possibility of incoming attacks. Immediately she made defensive posture, Kirara growing in size next to her, and Shippo steeling his face. Though the kit was still young, his power – especially his fox fire – had grown much in strength through the last three years. They still looked out for him in battle, but not quite as much as they used to, knowing also of the greater cunning of his trickery.

Smiling down Miroku ruffled the fur on top of Shippo's head. "Ready for some fun?" he joked.

"Yeah!" was the kit's reply, half-way between determination to protect his adoptive mother, and half-way joking with his houshi uncle.

They turned and made themselves ready.

* * *

Inside the hut Kaede and Midoriko were already in deep meditation. Kagome didn't know what to do, so she just shut her eyes and tried to focus on any vibrations she could feel within the room. Although her powers had grown significantly, she still didn't have much control of them.

She grunted in frustration as she didn't feel any changes in awareness, surprised when Inuyasha's arm quickly came up to encompass her. "Don't worry about it," he whispered gruffly. "Just try to lend them your strength, and let flow what comes natural."

With a silent sigh she refocused her mind, clearing her head of all thoughts other than the two powerful mikos in front of her. Inuyasha, likewise, bent all of his mind and heart toward the woman sitting next to him.

* * *

Outside things were almost as quiet. All four fighters waited in anticipation for any youkai to come, but time passed and still no one came. Not until about three hours before sunset that is. Seems time was just needed for the miko energy to be sensed and then time for the youkai to travel to the village.

Still, it was almost somewhat of a disappointment. The youkai who came, although there were many of them, were all of lesser stature and power. Miroku and Sango eventually became bored with the swarmy creatures trickling in, and decided to stand back and watch Shippo work, in order to give him some much needed practice while still keeping him safe.

Sango was slightly impressed. Shippo's multi-tasking was amazing. If he was attacked by enemies from more than one direction he would distract one with his giant top or snake, even setting his immobile statue on the youkai, while attacking in the other direction with his fox-fire. The fire was powerful enough to encompass three grown youkai now, although it still took a bit of the stuff to kill the creatures instead of just maiming them or making them angry.

Finally a more worthy opponent appeared: a large bull oni. They had faced many such oni before, but this one was gigantic! As an oni, he was very feeble-minded obviously. Only the lesser youkai were attacking the village because any higher youkai would recognize the danger of attacking such a formidable miko power, when so many of them were together. The smarter ones would simply wait until the miko were separated, and then attack. These dumber ones did not have such logic and just barreled in.

Sango smirked as she let loose her Haraikotsu.

* * *

Midoriko's breathing was growing labored, and it was all Kagome could do to keep focusing on her miko energy and not rush over to the woman. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she looked questioningly over at Kaede.

The older woman responded by getting up and kneeling next to Midoriko, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know, I know – I sensed the same thing. As much as it hurts, there just are no other options available to us right now. You must ask them."

Sadness and yet determination mixed in her eyes, Midoriko turned to the young couple sitting across from her. Inuyasha did not like that look and his earlier feelings of apprehension flooded over him again as he tightened his grip on Kagome.

Midoriko smiled, her face a façade of seriousness, not even a wistful smile to grace her features. "Life is unfair," she sighed, "and to no one more than you two. You have faced more hardships and separations in your lifetimes than I care to recall, and still I must ask you for one more."

Inuyasha growled. He didn't like where this was going, not at all. "Get to the point!" he snapped.

"Kagome, you have every right to say no to what I am about to request, but first let me tell you _why_ I must ask this of you.

Baratu and I were equals in the realm of both physical and spiritual prowess. Obviously, that is why I had to create the Tama to trap him, because on my own I could not defeat him in any normal manner – I knew it would require two other souls. In saying this, I admit that the two of us are still at a stalemate and we need more power on one side or the other in order to decide this battle once and for all.

"In this body of Kikyou's I can draw on a bit of her strength, but not overwhelmingly because we must do all we can to keep this body from disintegrating. It is most likely Baratu is able to do the same with whatever host body he has taken."

"So what can I do to help?" asked Kagome.

"I will need use of your powers," Midoriko replied.

Kagome's face contorted in surprise. She'd love to help, but still…"How…how can I do that?"

"Unfortunately there is only one option that will be sufficient in this situation. The benefit of it is that I will have complete access to not only your powers, but also to your memories – including that of your dream, which may benefit us even more in days to come. To do this though, requires a complete transference…of your soul into this body."

"WHAT!" an enraged Inuyasha yelled, quickly standing in front of Kagome. It took Kagome a minute to recover from her shock enough to try and calm Inuyasha.

"Wait, let her finish!"

"What the fuck are we listening to this for! She wants to take your _soul_!"

"I know Inuyasha, but just listening doesn't mean I have to do anything. What if this is our only chance? Let her at least explain!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and plopped down with a "feh" beside Kagome, slightly in front of where he had been sitting in case the need arose to protect her. The glare never left his eyes.

Midoriko cleared her throat. "As I was saying, it would require a complete soul transfer – but not a permanent one. I would be able to leave the slightest shred of consciousness attached to your body to keep it in perfect stasis. After we defeat Baratu your soul would be able to return to your body and you would be no worse for the change."

Kagome's gaze shifted down to her lap. "At least think about it, okay?" She looked up and saw the pain in both Kaede's and Midoriko's eyes. She knew they hadn't wanted to ask her to do this.

Turning to Inuyasha she almost shied away from the intensity of his gaze, blinking when he suddenly turned his back to her. After a moment she numbly climbed on and grabbed on tightly when Inuyasha jerked into a fast run.

On his way out Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and headed straight for the Bull Oni. With a single punch it was out, all his rage pent up in that one fist. He hadn't even bothered to remove Kagome from his back first. The punch only slowed his run, and he never fully stopped, so he was well buried in the forest before Sango and Miroku even realized he'd been there.

"What do you think that was about?" Sango asked Miroku, huffy that her fun with the oni had been cut short.

He didn't answer but just gazed back toward Kaede's hut.

* * *

Inuyasha ran further and further into the forest, felling the occasional tree along the way and yelling out his frustration. Kagome kept to herself on his back, knowing he needed to get this out of his system and almost wishing she could do the same thing herself. Why were the kamis so against them?

Inuyasha was slowing and came to a stop in a small clearing. Chest heaving from anger and exertion he paused, Kagome listening to the cadence of his breathing. After a long moment he set Kagome on the ground and turned until he cupped her face in his hands. Kagome had to gasp at the torment she saw ridden in his eyes.

"It's not fair. The fucking kamis hate us! First I had to wait until we defeated Naraku before I could tell you how I felt about you. Then I tried to mate you and your miko powers rejected me. Now we've been trying to fuse our blood all this time just to have your soul taken away!"

Kagome placed one hand on his chest and snaked the other up to tangle in his hair, stroking it in an effort to calm him.

"You're right, it isn't fair," she answered. "But what else can I do? I mean we have to defeat…" she was cut off by a gentle press of lips against hers.

"I know," he answered. Kagome blinked up in surprise at him, but he pressed two clawed fingers over her lips keeping her from responding. "I know you, and I know that you will do this, no matter how much I hate it."

Kagome was stunned to silence. She had been planning the entire way over here on how to convince him to let her do this, since it was their only chance, but he readily admitted it. "What's the catch?" she asked, suddenly wary.

"I want you."

Something in the way he said those three simple words and the way he looked at her when he did so sent chills running down her spine. Taking advantage of her stupor, Inuyasha leaned over and began to fondle her mark with his tongue.

"But Inuyasha…I can't…I…what if we're not ready?" She was fearful she might cause a repeat of what happened before, and unconsciousness was not something they could afford right now.

He backed up momentarily to study her with his intense eyes. "What if something happens to you? I would never be able to live with myself."

She was about to ask 'What could happen?' but quickly realized what a dumb question that was. His next words came as if he'd heard her thoughts.

"What if you don't defeat Baratu? What if you die?" he choked, looking down to hide his pain.

"Oh Inuyasha," she sighed, caressing his face gently.

He turned to face her again. "Or what if you somehow get stuck outside of your body? What if you're stuck inside of Kikyou's shell? Will you cease to exist as her undead corpse fades away? Or what if somehow your soul gives new energy to her body – would you want me to make love to you for the first time in that body?"

Kagome gasped, suddenly horrified at the idea. Inuyasha gently grasped her hand and placed a kiss on her temple. "Don't worry, koishi, I love you and only you." He smirked at her. "Besides, even if this doesn't work, what'll it really matter? This is supposed to be all miko stuff, right? So it won't matter if I'm not there to fight, since violence isn't 'allowed' in the miko holy ground. And I guess it doesn't matter if you're conscious, because they'd be able to transfer your soul anyhow."

Her mouth flapped as she grasped for some kind of retort, but as she found none Inuyasha's smirk grew wider. "So I take that as a yes?" he whispered in her ear just before he took her mouth in a searing kiss that melted away all her senses.

Not waiting for any further response he quickly pulled her shirt over her head, assured in the fact that if she wanted him to stop she's push him away or 'osuwari' him. Seeing as she did none of the above, he continued his merciless attack against her hyper-sensitive skin.

Once he had gotten rid of her 'bra-thingy' and attacked her needy breasts, her moans started to push him beyond his limits. His ache for her had been growing steadily for days, and he wanted her so badly right now he couldn't see straight.

He dragged his mouth up from her skin until it reached her ear, quickly replacing his hands for his tongue when he heard her grunt of disappointment at the sudden disappearance. Although meant as a warning, his husky voice made the words come out so sensually Kagome was shuddering all over.

"Kagome, I can't wait anymore. Just tell me if your energy is starting to react."

He just panted off the last word when she realized that somehow he had, during those two short sentences, rid the both of them of all clothing. _Hanyou speed sure comes in handy times like these_, she mused. She expected him to thrust straight into her, but instead his hands came up, stroking her sides in the gentles of touches, almost ticklish if it weren't for the feverish nature of her skin at the moment. His lips and tongue played against her mark, and swiftly she arched back as he sank his fangs into her yet again, drawing out her deliciously painful blood.

Seeing the words on his lips when he raised his head, Kagome immediately bit down on her teeth mark embedded into his shoulder. Momentarily forgetting anything other than the feel of the other's skin and the taste of the other's blood, both groaned in torturous delight when Inuyasha's arousal bumped harshly up against Kagome.

She instinctually bucked her hips up against him, silently begging him to finish what he'd started. Pulling his face up from her neck he looked her straight in the eyes, assuring her of everything she already knew. Seeing the faint traces of his blood outlining her teeth, and the couple drops she'd missed that had fallen onto her light skin, he lost almost all control. While he still had a teetering of sanity left he indulged himself in the feelings of his member rubbing against that sensitive bundle of nerves that had her convulsing in pleasure.

Slowly, to try to gauge the energy response as much as possible, he lowered himself and began to push himself inside of her. Despite what happened, unless he got a clear word from his mate, he was not going to stop.

Kagome grit her teeth. She knew pleasure mixed with pain, but this was taking on magnificent proportions. Beyond physical pain, her soul was stirring within her, breaking between her emotional attachment to her mate and her miko energy's inherent reaction. Closing her eyes, she focused all attention on the sensitive area where Inuyasha was playing, slowly attempting to fuse their bodies into one jumbled mass of wetted flesh.

An ache built within her as she felt her aura begin to pulse. It was faint at first, only enough to make her already sensitive skin even more so, especially in those places where Inuyasha's shaft drug slowly across. She gripped into his shoulders, nails drawing blood, screaming out in pleasure and frustration, arching her body against his in hopes that he would come into her.

He answered her plea and slowly thrust himself into her core, and Kagome's eyes shot open in reaction. Eyes darting around, she could barely see Inuyasha's face in front of her, instead being distracted and blinded by the fusion of white and pink she saw dancing all around them. The lights grew in power and intensity until she could see no more, and she shrieked as they closed in on her.

For a moment she knew nothing else.

Kagome opened her eyes from blackness and rolled her eyes mentally. Her vision not clearing, a tear crept out from one eye as she silently bemoaned herself. _Not again, oh please kami not again! Where am I now? How long was I out this time? Is Inuyasha okay? Where is he!_ "Inuyasha!" she screamed.

"Kagome, I'm here!" She heard fierce whispering in her ear while a soft hand cupped her face and forced her to look forward. Her eyes still not focusing correctly, she saw only a blur of silver and gold.

"Inuyasha?" she questioned.

"Hai, koi. We're okay, we're okay," he reassured her. Getting her mind in gear finally she took in her surroundings. She was lying on the floor in the forest – naked – with something warm on top of her. Her eyes once again focusing correctly, she looked up to see Inuyasha gazing down hotly at her. _Kami, he has such great shoulders!_ She glanced down. _Wait, shoulders? Oh wow, there's a whole lot more of him I can see now!_ She glanced further down. _Is that what I think it is? Am I seeing this correctly? _Moving her hips ever so slightly, she moaned at the sensation of pleasure racing through her body, smirking when she heard a similar sound come from Inuyasha's lips.

"We did it?" she asked, still unbelieving.

"We started it," he gazed down at her, a feral look to his smile that sent her into chills. "Now we're going to do it." Without waiting for a response he swiftly pulled out of her and thrust back in, swallowing her scream with waiting lips.

Not one to be outdone, Kagome quickly bucked her hips up against his with as much force as she could muster, frustrated when he wasn't pulling out again. Reaching both hands into his hair she ripped his head from hers, the ferocious look on her face keeping Inuyasha from complaining. Instead it was his turn to shiver in delight at the gleam coming from his mate's eyes. Leaning up she licked his ear quickly before whispering, "Onegai, Inuyasha, I need you _now_!"

He let the words arouse him all the more as they rang through him. Biting down on his own lip in tension, he thrust himself into Kagome's core once again, not allowing her to recover before thrusting again, and again. Each time he pulled out completely, creating as much delicious friction between them as possible.

Kagome groaned and screamed as she tried to thrust up to meet him, eventually letting him take over as the intensity was too much for her to control. Since her hips couldn't keep up with him, she gave her body over to other tasks for the moment. One hand crept down to his backside; cradling one cheek she heard him moan her name before she began mercilessly massaging and stroking the flesh, using all fingertips, knuckles, and claws.

Her other crept back into his hair. While thrusting into her Inuyasha had thrown his head back in ecstasy, eyes closed as he focused on senses of touch and hearing in the moment. Almost knocked off balance with the suddenness of her movement, he was abruptly pulled back down in a kiss she gave him that he would swear reached down to his soul. Her lips felt as if they were on fire and were eating him alive.

His senses beyond overload, he sped up his gyrations, focusing all he could on the tight muscles that contracted around his shaft. He had been going strong and hard for a few moments, trying to drag out the blissful pain as long as possible since it had been denied them so long, teasing into torture, but no more. He could stand it no longer, and by Kagome's demanding kiss neither could she.

Immediately he began to thrust quicker into her, and Kagome was amazed that he was able to do so while still completely pulling out of her every time. The heat being created from such friction was becoming unbearable and she had to use every fiber of her being to not scream at the top of her lungs for every second she felt him in her. Inuyasha felt her muscles starting to quiver around her in the beginnings of her orgasm, and he redoubled his efforts to slam into her with all the speed he could, quickly bringing his own release along side hers.

He roared with pride as she screamed her pleasure to the forest, neither caring if anyone heard them. Both quivering in the aftermath of such powerful, long awaited release, it took them a moment to realize Inuyasha was still slightly bobbling in and out of her. Turning instantly sheepish, he pulled out of her and rolled onto his back, dragging her with him until she lay tight up against his side, her head cradled in his arm.

He could tell she was already fighting sleep, and he kissed her gently on the forehead, whispering "Goodnight." No sooner had the word left his mouth than she was out.

He smiled at her satisfactorily, amazed at the beautiful, selfless mate he somehow managed to snag. She blacked out for a few seconds when he first filled her, but he himself hadn't felt a thing. Her powers must have been struggling against him, but she took the entirety of it upon herself. Could she really feel that strongly for him? That even unconsciously, her powers would react to her desire to protect him? Of course, she was the most unselfish person he could image ever meeting. She _would_ do something like that.

Sighing contentedly, he allowed himself to smile again and drifted off into the blissful oblivion of sleep, his ears twitching occasionally on top his head as they kept him on guard, even in rest.


	16. Stay

**A/N: Well I apologize to all you guys for taking so ridiculously long with this chapter. I ended up staying with the relatives _all_ summer, and then this chapter just took longer to write than normal. I'm still not satisfied with it, but if I don't post it now, I never will. So I'm sure it's pretty rough, but oh well. Not as if I'm going for any awards or grades here, ne?**

**Thanx to all you readers who have actually stuck with me! It's been quite the journey. This is the last chapter. There will be a short epilogue following (at some point), but that's just about it!

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**

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

* * *

Lime warning: be aware.

* * *

**Chapter 16: Stay

* * *

**

In the rising dusk of the morning Sango and Miroku stood in quiet conversation. Miroku, well practiced all his life in silently sneaking into places he shouldn't be, had overheard the conversation between the 3 mikos and Inuyasha.

"But why must they transfer Kagome's soul to Kikyou's body? Especially since it's _literally_ rotting away? What if it rots away with Kagome's soul inside!" Sango, frustrated, asked an equally anxious Miroku. "It makes no sense! If Kagome is the one with all the untapped power, why not transfer into her body, ensuring that all of her power and energy is left intact there?" She reigned in her anger as a frustrated scream nearly escaped her lips.

"Unfortunately," responded the monk, who despite all appearance, really _was_ wise beyond his years, "it makes perfect sense." When Sango raised one eyebrow in retort, he quickly continued.

"The Shikon No Tama," he said simply, and waited as he saw realization dawn on her lovely face.

"Kikyou's body…"

"Precisely. The Shikon melded with Kikyou's body, and that – at this time – is the only thing anchoring Midoriko to this plane of existence. If both her soul and Kikyou's were to transfer to Kagome, there would be no purifying source to stave off the deterioration of that body, the Shikon no Tama, and the source of Midoriko's existence. The transfer would be pointless, because as soon as Kikyou's body 'died' as it were, both souls would vanish immediately from Kagome's body, acting as though the transfer had never happened."

Sango cast a sad glance at the dense foliage in the nearby forest, the same spot she had seen Inuyasha and Kagome disappear into last night. "I suppose it's inevitable then…"

Miroku shifted, and then linking his fingers through hers, joined her in watching the fading gloom.

* * *

Inuyasha watched as Kagome stirred in his arms, the languorous movement of her limbs and the warm look in her sated eyes had him wishing he could see this sight every morning for the rest of his life. "G'morning," he rumbled, his voice still deep, as he brushed a feather-light kiss across her temple.

Kagome had to refrain from giggling at the feeling of his rumble cascading through her chest also, and instead contented herself to draw lazing designs on his chest with her fingers. She _so_ wished she didn't have to get up right now. What she wouldn't give to just fall back asleep in his arms right now. Well, that or some other fun activities that involved being in his arms…

With that she smiled wryly and sought to distract herself, knowing she shouldn't indulge in such thoughts. "Sleep well?" she asked, stifling a yawn against his chest since her fingers were still busy. He groaned slightly.

"I didn't sleep," he replied, and Kagome swore she heard a husky quality to his voice.

"Why not? Scared I would run away?" She smiled teasingly and poked him in the stomach.

"Not exactly," the ambiguous words confusing Kagome for a split second while he snatched up her hand in his. Then, as he raised her fingers to his lips, she saw and she _knew_.

"I will not leave you," she hissed, tensing. "Not even in death. Besides, I am _not_ going to die."

If Kagome had not been so caught up in the moment and surprised at the vehemence that took her, she would have wryly commented on the irony of the situation, that she was the one assuring them they would win and that death was impossible. Then again, she had learned from a master of denial!

Inuyasha did not reply, simply continued kissing her fingers one by one, sighing when he finally felt her relax back against him. "I'll hold you to that," he whispered, dropping her hand and pulling her tightly against him as he buried his face in her hair. This scent, _her_ scent…he would _always_ remember it.

Although he could feel she was just as reluctant to break the hold as he was, she suddenly moved against him and shown down on him with her dazzlingly bright smile. "Well…I guess it's time to go do my duty and all that jazz!"

She slipped from his arms, and Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a loss at her warmth, but also in his understanding. He just didn't get her sometimes! Since when was she excited to face unknown spiritual powers, soul transfers, and death?

"Oi!" he called to the form in front of him that was hastily throwing on clothes. She barely paused to throw an acknowledging glance over her shoulder. "What the hell do you mean? What are you so damn excited about?"

She turned around and sighed in satisfaction as she put the last of her clothing in place. Hands on hips, she sent him another toothy grin – one that he thought looked suspiciously calculating and seductive. "The sooner I do the transfer and defeat Baratu and am back in my body, the sooner we get married and have a honeymoon!" She winked at him, then sauntered off in the direction of the village, her hips swaying gently as she walked.

Inuyasha merely gaped after her a moment before hastily snatching his clothes and attempting to dress himself as he ran. "Kagome? Hey Kagome!" he yelled. "What's a honeymoon?"

* * *

They were all sitting in Kaede's hut, the suffocating stillness seeming to take a form of it's own. The time had come, and they all knew it. There was no more time to wait for Baratu; his threat was too dangerous, continually hanging on the edge of their consciousness, and Kikyou's body – despite all the mikos' efforts – was rapidly deteriorating. On top of everything, they were fighting the clock itself.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome took her fate into her own hands. "Can we just get this over with already? I'm going to go insane with all this tension!"

Eyes immediately riveted on her, wary of the future, but also slightly thankful that she had broken the tenuous silence and the process could now begin, bringing the end ever nearer.

Midoriko cleared her throat gently and then gestured to the sleeping mat lying in the corner of the room. "If you would Kagome?"

Kagome stood to move and Inuyasha was immediately at her side, not touching, pushing, or hovering too closely, but lending the support of his presence as much as possible. She lay down on the matt, her feet toward the door, and her left side and head almost pressed into the corner of the wall. Her right side was open to the scrutiny of all her friends, and suddenly feeling fidgety she clasped her hands together and placed them on her chest, striving to emit a sense – or at least an appearance – of calm. When she imagined her body laying there, barely alive with her soul traipsing off elsewhere, she had a sudden giddy image of herself as snow white. She'd seen the movie, and swore her posture was the exact same as the fair maiden she had idolized as a child. Biting her lip to keep an indulgent giggle at bay, Kagome had to question her own sanity – and not for the first time. Suddenly her thoughts shifted as the comparison continued, and she realized that no mere kiss from Prince Charming would be able to wake her from this 'slumber.'

Grunting inaudibly her attention was brought back to the present when Inuyasha gently unhooked her hands from around themselves, and linking his fingers through hers, brought her right hand to rest on his knee. She hadn't even noticed him sit next to her, she had been so caught up in her own thoughts. Giving him a once over with her scrutinizing eye, she surmised that though her prince may not be 'charming,' he was all she could ever want. And unlike the other wussy man, he was here _through_ her troubles – he wouldn't come only to rescue her at the end, after the harm had been done. Through all the grit he was her strength, and that meant more to her than anything. Squeezing his hand in hers, she shifted her gaze to the two mikos that were seating themselves next to her, Midoriko at her side, and Kaede closer to her feet.

After assuring everyone was ready, the two priestesses immediately set to work.

The process was relatively quick and painless, but the mental preparation was taxing. Inhaling deeply, Kaede set her hands hovering over Kagome's body, muttering an incantation under her breath. Midoriko remained her motionless kneeling next to Kagome, hands on knees, only moving to tilt her head down, closer her eyes, and part her lips slightly.

Before anyone could blink, a light mist began to form above Kagome. The mist grew and became denser until it almost had a nebulous form of its own. Suddenly, and without warning, it all moved inward toward Kagome's chest. Kikyou's body heaved in, a giant gasp wracking her form as the mist shot upward and into her mouth, dissipating in one fell swoop.

Silence reigned in the hut a full minute before the clamor erupted. Shippo, Sango, and Miroku all spoke at once, aching to know what had just happened.

Only Kaede noticed Inuyasha's oddly silent state. Squeezing her hand more tightly, his eyes hadn't left Kagome's face. Midoriko remained still, breathing even and slow. It was she who finally answered their questions.

"That mist was Kagome's soul ' she explained, eyes still closed. "It didn't take the form of a bright orb because this was not her full soul, and there's still a threat attaching it back to her body. In this way, her soul is not permanently separated from the body and has a possibility of returning."

Taking in this information, all eyes once again turned to Kagome. Without anyone else noticing, Inuyasha had shifted his hold slightly to feel at Kagome's wrist, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt her pulse against his fingertips, slow but stead. It throbbed once for every six of his heartbeats.

Rising slowly, Midoriko pushed to her feet and headed toward the door. Pushing the mat aside, she paused just long enough to wait for Kaede to follow. Then the two mikos were gone, an exhortation to Inuyasha to guard Kagome's body thrown over their shoulders.

They sat still, the ensuing silence filled with anxious expectation.

* * *

Kaede had left Midoriko at a point approximately half-way to where they guessed the holy grounds to be. Her presence would only be distracting, so she remained behind to meditate and offer any support or protection she could. In the case that any rouge youkai came around that had caught wind of the plan for a miko to go into battle at the holy grounds, she could also act as a diversion.

So Midoriko trod on alone, relying heavily on Kagome's memories and intuition to lead her. Stretching her senses inward, she could easily feel the presence of the third soul inside her, momentarily unconscious but whose mind was easily plundered. Pure energy brimmed within her body, filling it nearly to capacity as the auras of the three mikos combined and fed off each other. The sheer extent of Kagome's power still astounded the much older miko, but she supposed that's how the younger girl was able to mentally cope with and physically survive such a strangely different world than the one she'd been born into.

Without realizing it, her eyes had unfocused while she thought on Kagome, and now that she was back in her senses she had to catch her breath. Staring her right back in the face was a sakura grove – _the­_ sakura grove. Mentally girding her loins she took that first irrevocable step into the holy ground and her final battle with Baratu.

Immediately a tingle began at the nape of her neck, and at first she thought she was being watched. She swung around, expecting to see Baratu standing there, however she saw nothing other than pink-laden branches swaying slightly in the breeze. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to orient herself to her surroundings, and ever so slowly realized that the tingling she felt _was_ in fact a presence – it was the presence of this place. Letting it roll over her and seep into her she felt at once at peace.

Until she turned around and stared unblinking into a pair of large green eyes.

"Baratu!" she breathed.

The demon did not answer her, only let his gaze rake over her body, taking in her new form and sizing it up, his serpent tongue flicking out occasionally to take her scent from the air. He turned on one foot and moved to circle to her left, his eyes never leaving her. For her part, Midoriko was doing the same thing. She moved to her right following Baratu's lead, determined not to let him get behind her – even here in this holy ground. He was smaller than he had been, which wasn't saying much since he had been unimaginably large in his earlier form. The demon he had chosen to inhabit was still immense, easily two or more times her height and of considerable girth – though it was easy to tell none of it was fat. She could not peg exactly what kind of demon he was; his coloring was brown and he had large green eyes slit like a cat's. The only give away was the tongue that still escaped his mouth from time to time.

Baratu easily fell into his old pattern of taunting. That he could still do safely here without fear of retribution from the presence of the place. "I see you have finally caught up with me, miko. Pity you had to take up in such a weak body. It's almost as if it were literally rotting away before you."

Midoriko bit her tongue at his all-too-accurate description of the status of Kikyou's body. She could only hope he wouldn't guess how close to the truth he had been. But circling each other wasn't going to get them anywhere, and this time the tickle she felt in the hairs on the back of her neck definitely _did_ have to do with the demon standing in front of her. The evil gleam in her eyes gave her surprise; she didn't know how something so sinister could exist within a place so peaceful. The threat lurking in those green depths was very real, and she still had no concrete idea how to deal with it. She knew it wouldn't be long before he made a move though. She just had to wait, and pray he didn't take her by surprise.

* * *

Inuyasha's head shot up from his position on the floor. He hadn't moved from his earlier spot sitting next to Kagome's body and gripping her hand in his lap. Every now and then he still checked her pulse and breathing to make sure she was still with them, but other than that he remained motionless.

Eyes closed, he felt Kagome tug at him. However, when he turned to her she was as she had been before. His startled expression did not go unnoticed. "Inuyasha, what happened?" asked the ever astute monk. The question drew the gazes of the taijiya and the kitsune who sat quietly in the opposite corner of the room.

Inuyasha merely raised one hand in a gesture meant to dismiss the question, but then it happened again, and this time the tug was stronger. He looked at Kagome but saw nothing out of order. Hesitantly he turned to Miroku and asked, "Did you see Kagome move?"

"What? I don't think I could have heard you right my friend – "

"You heard me exactly right! Did you see Kagome fucking move!" His exasperation was taking over, frustrated with not knowing what was going on, and whether the problem was with his mate or with him.

"I haven't seen anything at all Inuyasha. Kagome hasn't moved since Midoriko and Kaede left. Why – " Inuyasha cut him off with a wave of his hand. Silence once again reigning in the room, he sent out his senses. If the tug came from Kagome then maybe…

The feeling came again, but this time the pull was so strong he physically moved forward. Eyes shooting open, Shippo gasped at the fire he saw there. Abruptly Inuyasha stood up, pausing to carefully lay Kagome's hand across her breast. Mentally berating himself for not understanding the first two tugs, he realized his mate was in trouble and calling to him. He'd be damned if he ignored the third warning. Bolting out the door he shouted a quick command to Sango to watch over Kagome's body, and then he was gone.

* * *

Midoriko was beyond frustrated. The past few hours had consisted of nothing other than the two of them circling each other, Baratu throwing in his usual taunts in an unceasing stream. If he didn't shut up soon she was going to scream! _Now where did that thought come from?_

She had dealt with these barbs for what seemed like an eternity. Being shut up in a jewel with any demon was not pleasant, but this one… Glancing at him scathingly she thought if she could just rid him of his mouth then maybe she could be happy.

However, as much as this annoyed her, a deeper frustration had her worried further. No matter what tack she employed, she had been unable to call upon Kagome's powers. Midoriko had accounted for the strange aura of the sakura grove, but all logic pointed that it would only _enhance_ Kagome's latent abilities. So why was she unable to call the girl's aura to her aid and put it under her own control? Why was she still locked in a stale mate with this loathsome beast? If she couldn't progress with this dilemma, their stale mate might last _another_ eternity, and Midoriko cringed at the thought. Baratu didn't look in the least inclined to break the unwritten law of the miko holy ground by instigating physical violence and getting himself kicked out, thus making him more vulnerable. No…he seemed quite happy to stay here for as long as suited him, all the while shooting his mouth off at her.

Suddenly Midoriko was shot through with a strike of fear. _He_ could very well stay as long as he liked. She on the other hand…

Who knew how long this body of Kikyou's would last? The very wish that was unselfish enough to free them from the Shikon no Tama might just be their undoing. If the body, along with the completed Shikon, disintegrated, then both hers and Kagome's souls would move on to the next world before finding other bodies. Kagome currently was too far from her own body to find it again before the inevitable tug of the nether world pulled her away. If that happened there would be no one left strong enough to defeat Baratu and he would have free run of the island, no longer living in fear and confining himself to the neutral zone of the holy ground.

A sniffing sound brought her out of her thoughts. Baratu's eyes narrowed. "Why Midoriko-_sama_," he said overly sweetly, putting as much sarcasm as he could into the phrase, "it seems that body of yours is weakening rapidly. Is there anything I can do to help, or shall I just sit here and watch it blow away?"

Midoriko was barely able to contain her emotions, not letting her surprise, fear, and fury show through. She knew she had to do something, and soon. But what? What could she do? She couldn't very well attack Baratu; while she would be rejected by the grove, he _might_ be able to stay if he remained passive. That was not a chance she could take. Her only hope was in…

_Damn it Kagome! Why can't I access your powers!_

Suddenly Baratu shifted away, turning his back to her, and Midoriko found her senses wheeling. Was he challenging her? Daring her to attack him? A harsh yell from the other side of the clearing snapped her to attention.

"Oi, ugly beast! Why don't you fight like a real demon instead of hiding yourself away in a place for mikos!"

Although the source of the voice was blocked from her vision by Baratu's massive bulk, she recognized it in an instant.

"Why you little-" seethed Baratu.

"No Inuyasha, don't!" implored Midoriko, running to circle around Baratu and get to Inuyasha. "You know he can't be defeated with just a physical fight!"

He turned to face her, annoyance written all over his face. "Well then why the hell is he still standing here! You took Kagome's soul – you have her power. So why haven't you crisped the guy yet?"

The two continued bickering, oblivious to the monstrosity standing slightly to the side. _Did they mention…_another_ soul? How many souls does that wench have inside her? Are they all miko? Shit…_

Being as unobtrusive as possible he began to back away, hoping that the miko and hanyou were too entranced in their argument to notice until he was long gone. He had retreated a good ten feet, and was just turning, thinking he might actually be able to get away with it, when he heard a growl.

"Do you actually think we're stupid enough to fall for that! Get the fuck back here!" No doubt as to who said that. The hanyou with the pointy sword was now walking straight toward him. Without a thought Baratu turned tail and fled.

Midoriko tried to call out another warning, pleading with Inuyasha to only track Baratu and not attack him, but her words were lost in the growls of the two. She desperately clung to hope that he would not attack and was merely posturing, but all was dashed as Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga and ran at Baratu. "NOOOOOO!"

Before she could blink he was gone. So was Baratu. She was alone in the grove, and her insides were seething and despairing at the danger Inuyasha was in.

Midoriko's control of Kikyou's body was momentarily ripped from her as she dropped to her knees, a gut-wrenching scream of "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" lifted to the sky. The voice didn't even sound the same to her ears as the scream she had let loose only seconds before, her unheeded warning to Inuyasha. Instantly her vision was clouded by bright pink. At first Midoriko thought she was living one of Kagome's episodes and was soon going to black out, however she was thoroughly surprised when she craned her neck to the far left and saw an edge to the pink.

It was an aura! Looking back up the swirls filled her entire vision. The aura…it was coming from her! Suddenly everything clicked into place. It wasn't that Kagome was _untrained_ that kept her from using her powers at will. They merely weren't meant to be used that way. They _only_ worked under duress. She felt a prodding at her consciousness and knew it was Kagome seeking out to find and protect her mate. A quick glance around, ensuring she was alone in the grove and that she would be safe, the body dropped to the ground, lying prone as if dead, while Midoriko's consciousness descended into itself in order to meet and confer with the other two souls within the body.

She prepared herself for what she knew she would see, but still she was surprised. Kikyou sat limply on what passed for the ground in this misty place, her skin a ghostly pale as if she were barely there. Kagome was in stark contrast. She was seething and seemed to be fairly vibrating, a living force coming off her in waves. Not only were her miko powers emanating so strongly in here, but her appearance had taken on slightly stronger demon characteristics than when she had last seen her. Oh, it wasn't much, Midoriko would admit, but even those tiny changes were unusual and just showed the depth of the connection she was fighting for.

"WHERE IS HE!" yelled Kagome before Midoriko could say a word.

Glancing once more at Kikyou and affirming that she would not be giving any input into this conversation, Midoriko turned her attention once more to the pained girl in front of her. "Kagome, I have something very important to tell you. Would you please calm down for just a moment?"

"I need to get to my mate! You let Baratu take him away!" she started, slightly calmer, but not much better.

_I didn't _let_ Inuyasha do anything – he went _against_ what I told him to do_. Midoriko bit her tongue against the words, knowing they would not be helping _anybody_ currently. "That's what I'm trying to tell you Kagome. I need you to help me find them."

Kagome merely looked her question at the older miko.

"The only way Inuyasha could have found you here is if the two of you were somehow connected, and he was able to trail that connection to the location of your soul. If that is the case, then the reverse should work also. When I retake consciousness of this body, I will leave an opening for you so you can concentrate on finding Inuyasha and lead us to him." Midoriko explained slowly, as if to a child. She couldn't be sure of how aware Kagome was in the seething state she was in due to the absence of her mate.

"And once I find him…?"

Midoriko took a moment to look over the young girl in front of her. "I will retake control of the body. If there is more than one soul reacting, we may take opposite paths, make opposite decisions, and in a battle we cannot afford any slight hesitations. Such could lead to our deaths." Taking a deep breath, she decided she needed to explain the rest. "Also, I was not able to call forth your powers earlier. They must only react to your emotional state, so in a sense we need you to stay high strung. However, in such a state you cannot possibly act coherently in a battle, and with my larger experience I should be able to direct your power under my control and fuse it mine and Kikyou's. Do you understand?"

Kagome glared at her, angry that she would not be able to kill the bastard that had dared threaten her mate, but somewhere inside her logic won through and she knew that Midoriko was right. Grudgingly she nodded. "Alright. Let's quit talking already and go find him."

Turning from Kagome and bringing the both of them to consciousness, Midoriko hid an amused smile. She'd had no idea the bond between the two had stretched this far. When her mate was in danger, Kagome acted more like Inuyasha than she bet the girl realized. Silently she felt Kagome prodding at her, and knew she had already located the whereabouts of said mate. With a nod, more to herself than her counterparts, she headed off in the direction indicated by Kagome, and prayed they were not too late.

* * *

Midoriko was running…panting…straining every sense to find the tell-tale tickle that heralded the presence of youkai. Inside her mind, Kagome prodded in the right direction and nudged her every time she veered slightly off course. She could sense, however, the younger girl's exhaustion at having to extend her senses so far while at the same time struggling to stay conscious.

Finally, it clicked. Midoriko could feel the distant humming in her ears and knew she was close. Slowing to a halt she took a moment to calm her raging breath and to send Kagome's consciousness delving back into the depths of the body.

At Kagome's slight resistance she reminded her counterpart, '_Remember Kagome, having more than one of us awake at a time can cause discord, and we cannot have even the slightest hesitation in battle.'_ She felt Kagome's acquiescence, and disappointment, at the statement. While the girl was descending further and further into her unconscious state Midoriko admonished her. '_You would do well to watch all that unfolds Kagome. Keep your mind on your mate, and use all you can to protect him. Leave your emotions raw: I know it will hurt you more, but it will aid in bringing out your powers. I fear the coming battle will be the most difficult any of us ever faces.'_ With these words she felt a slight flare in Kagome's aura before it disappeared, leaving only the faintest traces behind.

Heaving a deep sigh and mustering all the courage she could, Midoriko turned and ran into the forest toward where an evil youkai and an over-anxious hanyou dueled in battle.

By the time Midoriko arrived where the two were, they were already in the heat of action, both drenched in sweat and covered in blood from their efforts. Even as Midoriko watched Baratu sent a crushing blow toward Inuyasha. Expecting him to dodge, she froze when she heard the resounding crunch as Baratu's fist and claws connected with Inuyasha's chest. Midoriko couldn't explain why, but she couldn't move as she stared in aghast horror while Baratu moved in on Inuyasha's struggling body.

Before she knew what was happening her vision was turning pink again. It didn't explode out like it had last time, instead the power felt like it had been turned on and was building to the speed and immensity of a rushing waterfall. The sheer force of it winded her, and she had to gather her wits to marshal the oncoming tide.

Nothing happened.

She paused, gasped, then tried again. Still, nothing happened. The flow of power continued out until it seemed as if it would drench her of every force within her body, even down to her life force. She belatedly realized the flaw in her plan to defeat Baratu: there was no way she could ever reign in and control Kagome's power.

Inuyasha was the first to notice the strange aura on the other side of the clearing, but then again he was not only facing that direction but was also quite accustomed to the feeling of his mate's powers. Even while Baratu raised his arms over his head to deal another bone-crunching blow to the ground-dwelling hanyou, the giant beast twitched as he sensed the danger behind him. Both stood straight and slowly turned toward the growing menace that was coming ever closer and closer to them.

Suddenly the dam burst and the pink aura of power that had been growing steadily quickly reached a peak and shot out toward them quicker than either would like. Baratu's eyes were fixed on the edge of that pink cloud that was barreling down on him, but Inuyasha only had eyes for the center of that aura. Kagome. Seeing the look on her face he could only guess what was going on. But from the mixture of surprise, defeat, and horror that laid in those eyes, he had a pretty good idea.

Without another thought he bolted toward his mate, leaving Baratu in the dust, just as the cloud enveloped them.

Immediately his senses were bombarded by a barrage of pain that set his limbs twitching, and it only got stronger as he closed in on the source of the cloud. Glancing quickly behind him so as not to be unaware of his enemy's position, he noticed that Baratu was faring far worse than he was. The demon was practically immobile, all his energy focused inward to fight the pain he was forced to endure. Not having the time to think about why that was, Inuyasha tucked the tidbit of information away to worry about later. He didn't even notice the tremendous amount of energy that passed straight through him without touching him. Right now all he could think of was getting to Kagome.

She was barely visible through the gaseous pink of the cloud that surrounded her. Kikyou's body was kneeling on the ground staring up at the energy pouring from her, an image of utter shock etched upon her features. Inuyasha crouched in front of her, balancing on his heels, and gently grabbed her shoulders. Sparks of energy crackled between them at his touch, and his slightly burned appendages automatically recoiled at the sensation. However, he was never one to balk at pain. He grabbed harshly onto Kagome's shoulders and began to shake her for all he was worth.

"Kagome…KAGOME! Snap out of it!" he shouted in her face. When he still got no response he switched tacks. "Midoriko – I know you're in there – I know you can hear me. Now answer me!"

Slowly he saw awareness seep back into the hollow eyes of Kikyou's body, and he waited patiently as they focused on him. "I…I can't control it Inuyasha. I thought I could, I _should_ be able to, but there's nothing I can do. It's out of control…and I've failed…we've all failed…"

Inuyasha's impatience butt in and he cut her off. "You are making no sense. What the fuck are you getting at? What can't you control? And don't you dare dig a grave yet. I am not letting you say that we've failed and that all Kagome and I gave up has been for shit. Now what's going on!"

"Kagome's powers…look around you Inuyasha!" The miko's eyes grew hazy again as she gazed on the heavy cloud of power surrounding them. Without warning her gaze snapped back to the demon behind Inuyasha. "As you can see, while you suffer from her powers, Baratu does suffer worse. However, the energy output is draining this body tremendously and I do not know how much longer it will hold on like this – without any control. Kagome's powers will self-implode before it is enough to do any permanent damage to Baratu. While I know what _causes_ Kagome's powers to flood out like this, there is nothing I can do to control or direct it. There's nothing…"

Inuyasha hesitated only a fraction of a second. "Give up the body then," he said quietly, seriously.

"What?" Midoriko hissed.

"Kagome has a better chance than you do of controlling this right now. You said so yourself that you can do nothing, so what is wrong with giving her the chance? Besides, I'm not getting hurt as much as that stupid carcass over there, so she must still be recognizing me on some level. I can help her. But I can only help her if she's herself – so let her have the body."

"I don't know Inuyasha…" Midoriko pondered.

"We don't have time to bullshit this!" fumed Inuyasha. "I will not lose my mate!"

Inuyasha was about to push his point again when he felt the body go limp in his arms. Grabbing her form closely to him, he began to fret. She couldn't have been so drained as to…NO!

"Kagome…KAGOME! Not again damn it, this time you answer me!" He cradled her face between his hands and watched her face for signs of life when her eyes shot open and her lungs contracted.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! INNNUUUUYAAAAAAASHHHAAA!" A scream tore her throat that filled the skies. Her eyes were livid, no signs of lucidity to be found in them. Inuyasha knew he had to calm his mate, but his mind was not being forthcoming with solutions. He did the first thing he could think of and repaid Kagome's favor to him when he lost control of himself to Kaguya – he kissed her.

Gradually, ever so slowly, Kagome's wits began to gather around her as she responded to his kiss. He opened her, stretched her, found himself giving in to her, and finally caught hold of himself just as he found he was losing himself in her mouth. Reluctantly he broke away from her. Finally breaking his eyes away from her swollen lips that beat with her ragged breathing, he lifted his gaze to see she was completely conscious. He wished nothing more than to drag her into his arms again, crush her to him in a possessive hug – but as usual, he did not trust himself to be in control around her, so he settled for his usual response: "Keh. So I see you're finally back to yourself wench."

Instead of yelling at him for his ill-timed gruffness, Kagome simply smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you, Inuyasha." The blush was barely noticeable on the hanyou's cheeks, but Kagome was one who was trained to see such small signs, and her smile grew all the larger, until she glanced over Inuyasha's shoulder and caught sight of Baratu, who was starting to rouse himself. Inuyasha, catching her change in demeanor, turned to follow her gaze and glared at the demon.

"I think I know what we can do." Inuyasha turned in surprise at Kagome's statement. "You're not going to like it – but I need you to trust me on this. Okay?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "That depends…what is it?"

He almost lost it when she nearly growled at him. "Inu…yasha…," she said in a warning tone.

"Alright, alright, fine. Tell me what I gotta do," he finally conceded.

"Okay." She took in a deep breath. "So we've established that my powers go all out of whack when I get emotional, right?" Inuyasha knew this was a rhetorical question, especially since she was using terms from her time. She was usually pretty good about not using them, or explaining them to him, when talking _to_ him and not _at_ him.

She continued. "We _need_ my powers to flare up, which now happens every time you're in danger; but I also need to stay in control, which hasn't happened any of those times. So I need you to get hurt in a way that I know you'll be okay." Kagome looked at him to see if he was following her train of thought, but he seemed to be a bit lost.

"Fine, so maybe I'm not making any sense yet. Anyhow, here's what I need you to do." She added under her breath, "_For once one of these smelly demons having a big, giant bulk is gonna come in handy." _Of course Inuyasha was able to hear her remark, but merely raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"I need you to stand on the other side of Baratu, and use his body to stay hidden. Whatever you do, do _not_ let me see you. We're going to have to play on the small amount of youkai sense you've given me, and rely mostly on smell. When you're sure you're out of sight, cut yourself. Not severely, or anything that will really hurt you, but something that will put a lot of blood in the air – remember, _I_ have to somehow be able to sense it."

At this Inuyasha started to put up a fight. "Kagome, how can I do something like that! Your puny senses will need a fucking _huge_ amount of blood – and then I'll probably be so weak I won't be able to protect you!" He was about to further his argument when Kagome cut him off with a glare.

She stood before him resolute in her decision. "If you're ever going to trust my fighting instincts, now might be a good time."

The two stared at each other, as if to see who's convictions were stronger, when suddenly Inuyasha's face turned softer and he laid a hand on her cheek. "Just stay safe, alright?"

Kagome stood agape for a split second before she wiped away the tears forming in her eyes and nodded. "Hai! Now make sure to stand downwind from me, and when I say so, cut yourself enough to bleed a lot, but not to damage you. I still need you able to fight. When my energy comes at you, I need you to focus all of your thought on me. Do not think of Baratu or Midoriko or anything else – just me."

"Your energy…?" he questioned.

She waved him off with her hand, gesturing to the bulk behind them who was now on his feet and focusing on them. "No more time to explain. Just go!"

A quick nod and Inuyasha leaped from her side, putting all the faith he could muster into Kagome's plan.

He got into position as fast as he could, not trusting to just how slowly he hoped Baratu would recover from Kagome's last attack. Scenting the wind he made sure he was downwind and Kagome would have the best chance of smelling his presence even as his blood starting getting carried around, soaking into the ground. The hardest part was staying out of her line of sight. At this point Baratu was staggering back and forth trying to get his bearings, planning a way to attack the little miko who had damaged him so. Inuyasha quickly timed Baratu's movements and matched them, and after only about 30 seconds was moving enough with the massive demon that he was assured to stay completely out of Kagome's line of vision.

Kagome, steadying herself, knew it was time and shouted out to Inuyasha to cut himself. He complied to digging his claws deep into his back and the side of his hip, going for surface blood vessels while keeping away from any vital organs and major arteries. In no time at all he sensed the youkai in his mate rising.

Kagome could smell his blood. It was everywhere. The beast inside her raged – her mate was hurt! Not only that but she could not see him, could not find where he was. He could be dying! No…no…_she_ was the one who told him to cut himself, she reminded herself. He would not die. Would he? What if something outside of the plan happened? No – that could not happen! Where was her mate! Where is he!

Baratu was facing the small ningen female, slight amusement painting his features as he watched emotion after emotion flicker across her face. Humans were such weak creatures, being so easily controlled by something so fickle as 'emotions.' Then he watched as the woman's eyes tinted pink. '_What the hell is she doing?'_ he wondered, before hell exploded.

Kagome's arms thrust out to her sides, spreading wide, as her power concentrated and built like a flame above her. It grew larger and larger until she could not contain it anymore and it split. Both segments shot out from her body, leaving glowing trails as they headed toward their destinations. The smaller part headed straight toward Baratu, a definite menace resonating within the surge of power. As it made contact with his body it held him immobile, the smaller amount of power doing little other than preventing him from fleeing. Baratu struggled against the stinging flow of energy, and Inuyasha found himself having to counter his previous timing to the demon's movements in order to remain hidden from Kagome.

The larger arc sped straight over Baratu's head and hit Inuyasha straight on. He winced in preparation of the expected burning sensation but instead found himself enveloped in a feeling of warmth and comfort. Astonished, he realized that while the arc of power directed at Baratu was meant for harm, the one sent to him was meant for healing and protection. He managed a grim smile at the thought that Kagome's powers had most definitely – finally – distinguished him as her mate. He put that thought aside for later gloating, and then remembering the full instruction Kagome had given him turned and focused all of his attention on said mate.

As he spent more and more time concentrating on her, he found himself increasingly frustrated that there was an enormous, ugly bulk blocking him from seeing his beloved female.

Being so focused he did not realize what was going on, but an outside observer would be surprised to see an enormous amount of energy building up in the hanyou. The energy kept building and building, until one would be surprised at the ability of the hanyou's body to not burst under such pressure and such power. Suddenly it seemed as if just such a thing would happen, as with a gut-wrenching cry the energy was set loose and directed back at the source of it all, the little miko that the hanyou was pouring so much focus on. Noticing there was something standing in between the hanyou and his mate, the passerby would think how he would hate to be in such a position before continuing on his way.

Unfortunately for Baratu he had no such option of moving out of the way for the onslaught of power ripping straight through him. The small amount of energy Kagome had been pounding into him had prevented him from running from what he had seen coming. The total amount of power that Kagome sent to Inuyasha was now being pumped back to her, through Baratu's body. This time, however, it was not a warm and fuzzy feeling that accompanied the power transfer – like what was felt by Inuyasha, or even the slight stinging that Baratu felt from the surge of energy directed at him from Kagome. No – this was something much worse.

Not only were Kagome's powers hitting him from front and back, but the part coming from Inuyasha had somehow merged with the small miko part of the hanyou and was drawing on his own powers too, thus magnifying the effect exponentially. He felt like he was being eaten, digested, and then melted from the inside out.

The cycle of transfer of energy proceeded for another few moments. All of Kagome's energy was still being directed at Inuyasha in a healing/protective way since the blood was still flowing freely from his wounds due to the tremendous output of energy required of him when he sent Kagome's energy back at her. She no longer needed to worry of Baratu moving since he was immobilized from the pain being inflicted from the arc of energy shooting through him from Inuyasha on its way to Kagome. The feeble efforts he _was _able to make, such as thrashing in his misery and swooning occasionally from one side to the other, were small enough that Kagome and Inuyasha were easily able to compensate and keep out of the sight of the other.

Finally, the flow of energy stopped as Kagome calmed. Her eyes, returned to their normal white and brown, glared at the weakened enemy cowing in front of her before she dropped to her knees and then collapsed on the ground.

Baratu took this as a sign of blessing from the kamis. He was weakened, but most definitely not defeated. Now with the little miko unconscious he should be able to dispose of her and then continue on without the hassle of dealing with her, or Midoriko, or any other of that lot. With that in mind he began crawling toward Kikyou's body, bent on her destruction.

Inuyasha, though, was not about to have that. Although he was exhausted from the output of energy, he was still far better off than Baratu. He quickly took stock of his options, knowing he had only seconds to move before Baratu got his grimy hands on his mate. He couldn't use any of Tetsusaiga's fancy attacks, not even Kaze no Kizu, because Kagome still was on the direct opposite side of Baratu and she would be caught up in the blast. He didn't have time to leap to the side, make sure he found a safe angle, and then let loose a blast – that would take precious seconds he didn't have. Finally, he just literally took his decision in his hands and jumped at Baratu's, wielding Tetsusaiga to come down heavily on the demon's back.

Nothing. Okay, Inuyasha conceded, not _nothing_, but certainly not what he'd hoped for. Baratu was not lying in pieces, but merely had a deep scratch across his back. All that for a fucking scratch! What the hell more could he do!

He had no more time to think. Baratu hadn't slowed at all for Inuyasha's attack and was now right in front of Kagome, reaching for her neck. Without thought, Inuyasha let out a battle cry and leaped for the demon again. Tetsusaiga pulsed once and then began to glow eerily with a pink flame that he associated with Kagome's miko energy. Confused, but not given the privilege of time to worry about it, he crashed the sword into the top of Baratu's skull and watched in both pride and wonder as the sword cut through.

The sides split cleanly in twain, half of Baratu falling to the right side of Kagome, the other half falling on her left. She was still lying where she had fallen, covered in bits and pieces of Baratu's blood and innards. Inuyasha only took a split second to gloat in his kill – the best kill of all time and he didn't even get to glory in it! – and turned his attention to Kagome. He immediately dropped down next to her and pulled her into his lap. Cradling her against him, he stroked Kikyou's face as he tried to call his mate back from unconsciousness.

"Kagome? Kagome! Wake up wench…you gotta show me you're alright…" He gently shook her, sighing with relief when he saw her eyelids flutter open. "Kagome?" he questioned, noting the sad look that plagued the depths of her eyes.

It wasn't Kagome's voice that responded to him, but Midoriko's. "Kagome is no longer within us."

* * *

Midoriko and Inuyasha arrived back at the village somber and angry. The Inu-tachi took one look at them, their expressions, the blood, the disheveled clothes, and ushered them quickly into Kaede's hut before speaking a single word.

Inuyasha didn't even spare a glance for anyone else, just raced to his previous spot beside Kagome's body. After checking for signs of life and still finding her pulse and breath, he turned on Midoriko, aggrieved rage showing in his face. "You will explain what the fuck you mean NOW!" he demanded. After she had dropped the bombshell that Kagome was 'no longer with us' she explained that neither did it mean she was dead. However, she refused to elaborate any more until they were with the others.

Midoriko sighed heavily at Inuyasha's display, but internally conceded she would probably act the same if the situations were reversed. "As I said Inuyasha, she is not dead. If you will calm yourself for a moment and allow me to relate what happened to every one else, you will see what happened."

Sango cut in. "Does that mean you actually defeated Baratu?" she asked, hope tinting her voice.

"Yes it does," she replied to everyone's cheers and Inuyasha's grumbling. He sat against the wall, knowing that now there was no way to get any answers until the others had sated their curiosity.

Midoriko launched into her tale, pausing only now and again to answer questions by the eager listeners. Even Inuyasha listened with rapt interest, as he noted new details he had not been privy to on his side of the battle. When she got to the part of how Inuyasha defeated Baratu with a swing of Tetsusaiga, it was the hanyou who interrupted the telling.

"How was it that Tetsusaiga was able to kill that damn demon? The first time I struck him he was barely scratched. Then it started glowing pink as if with miko power and sliced through the bastard as though he were nothing more than air. How the hell did that happen? Where did it come from? And why did it smell like Kagome?" Miroku really wished Kagome were conscious for this, because he was sure the image of Inuyasha literally scratching his head would have amused her also. Switching his view to Midoriko he wasn't too sure she _wasn't_ amused by it – maybe Kagome was rubbing off on her?

"Those are all good questions," she answered, "and I have one answer that will sate them all. Kagome transferred her soul into your body."

"WHAT!" came all the gasped replied at once.

"It means exactly what I said it means. Kagome's plan to play on her protective emotions worked perfectly, perhaps a little too perfectly. Once she smelt your blood she was able to rationalize to herself that you were not about to die simply because the two of you had planned it. But she realized that things do not always go according to plan and soon she began to panic once her youkai mind started rising. There was always the possibility of what could go wrong, and with those emotions running so strong already it was more than she could take. She used her transfers of power to you to also transfer her soul from being housed in us to instead house in you, so as always to be with you and not risk being separated. If you search inside yourself right now you will be able to find the edge of her consciousness." At his incredulous look she encouraged, "Go ahead, try it now."

Inuyasha closed his eyes and clutched one of Kagome's hands that had previously laid on her breast, bring it close to his chest instead. Focusing his breathing as Miroku had once taught him, he focused inward in a meditative state and suddenly jolted. "She's there!" he exclaimed.

"Of course she is," stated Midoriko evenly. "It's not like I would lie to you about this." Somehow Inuyasha sensed a bit of Kagome in that last statement.

He growled his frustration. "So what do I have to do to get her back?"

Midoriko started herding the rest of the group toward the door. "Use your imagination, Inuyasha. You need to somehow convince your mate that she would be better off in her own body than in yours." Shoving Shippo outside into Sango's arms and shooing the lot of them off, she turned back. "I can't tell you all what you must do. Not only am I not mated, but I'm sure it's different in every circumstance. _You _know your mate best. _You _must be the one to figure out how to best prove your point to her." She began to walk out the door, and while fastening the door hanging shut she added, "Oh, and be sure to remember – just as her soul came out and into this body through the mouth, it will need to do the same in this case. So don't sulk and keep yours sealed shut or anything." With that encouragement she left, leaving Inuyasha alone with Kagome to see what he could do to coax her soul back to life.

Inuyasha shut his eyes and breathed deep. How the hell was he supposed to know how to do anything? He never dealt with all the spiritual mumbo jumbo – he just beat the crap out of stuff.

Scenting the air around her body, Inuyasha raised himself up to kneel by Kagome, seeing if he could detect any physical presence of her aura. _So how the hell do I get her back in here?_ Perplexed, he poked and prodded at different parts of her body, with extra emphasis on those places he knew to be ticklish and would make her react in embarrassment or anger. _Nothing! Now what was Midoriko saying about her mouth?_ Curious, Inuyasha bent over her, and carefully using a finger on each hand drew her mouth open wide. Peering in, he looked for something different, something out of the ordinary, but just saw a normal mouth. Just then Kagome exhaled and he was suddenly very conscious of the feel of her soft lips beneath his fingertips, quickly drawing his hands away as though he'd been burned. Gripping her shoulders instead he trained his eyes on her face, and gave in to his need to vent his frustration.

"Damn it, Kagome! Why the hell did you have to go and do something like that? Now you've left me here alone with a body! A body! Some bright idea that was…" Raising one hand he traced the back of his fingers longingly across her cheek, almost resigning himself to never seeing her face animated again. "Damn stupid girl…"

"Hey!" The sound of indignation filled him, although he more felt it than heard it. Glancing quickly at Kagome he confirmed that she hadn't moved at all. Slowly the pieces starting falling into place. _Is Kagome's soul…awake? Can she hear me? If so…can I…hear her?_

Quickly changing tack Inuyasha spent as much concentration as he could and focused on finding that inkling of Kagome's presence he'd sensed earlier. Before he knew it he was descending into himself, down into dark recesses he'd never noticed before. The stillness around him was deafening and the silence seemed to reach on for never-ending moments of limitless time.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha tentatively called out. He began to walk forward (or the closest approximation he could make for walking in this place), attempting to find something to steady himself against – to gain his sense of direction – but he couldn't even feel the ground beneath his feet. He continued for what felt like ages, the only difference he could note being the lightening of the air around him. It was a dark shade of grey now, although his vision was still obscured by swirling masses of mist and fog. "Kagome!" he called out, a bit stronger this time. He could sense his mate nearer, but credited that more to the fact he was now _inside_ his body than outside it. Of course he was closer. The question was, how much closer?

Surging on with renewed determination he found himself coming into an area much lighter than those before. He could see clearly all around him, and other than a bright light shining a ways away, all he saw was unending depths of light grey. "KAGOME!" he bellowed out his frustration. Instantly his attention was trained on the source of that light, burning brightly now in its intensity. He shot toward it and came to a halt a mere meter in front of it. Although it was just a glowing white orb of light that represented a soul, he could see the slightest tinges of Kagome's physical appearance outstretched over it, as though the small light was only her heart and the rest of her stood in front of him as she normally would. Even with his hanyou sight, he had to squint to see anything of her other than that light.

With a movement that Inuyasha guessed was Kagome holding her arms open to him she exclaimed, "Inuyasha, it's about time!" There were so many questions he had, his thoughts were swirling in a jumbled mass in his head, but that could wait a few minutes. Stepping forward he walked resolutely toward Kagome, using the time to map out where the rest of her body lay, nearly transparent against the blinding white that shone as the background of the entire room. "Kagome, what are you doing in here?" he questioned. "Why did you leave me?"

A smile opened on her face and she twirled past him. "Don't you get it?" she asked as she was breezing by. "We can't ever be separated in here!"

"Why did it take me so long to find you down here? Why are you all the way back here where it's light?"

"Oh Inuyasha," she said, almost as if he was asking something he should already know the answer to, "of course I'd go where it's light! I do want to know all of you, including those scary dark places, but I figure I have all the time in the world to get to those." She brushed past him again, still continuing her dance. Inuyasha reached out to grab her hand, to stop her twirling and get her to face him, but despite his reflexes he only grabbed thin air. Confusion poured through his mind as he glared at his hand, then hers, then his again, and then he got it. Suddenly he understood completely.

Inuyasha stood silently, following the celebrating, twirling Kagome with his eyes, waiting for her to be beyond revelry so they could speak. He was glad she hadn't noticed the same thing he had. He needed to convince her of his point first, before she flew into a panic.

Slowly, her movements became slower and slower, and she rotated around Inuyasha a final time before she came to a rest before him, chest heaving as she dragged in breath. "Isn't it just wonderful?" she exclaimed. She swung forward as if to touch him but he slowly shook his head and took a step back.

She cocked her head as she looked at him, delight and only slight confusion hanging in her gaze. "What's wrong silly? Mad because you didn't think of it first?" She laughed softly. "Can you imagine? We can _always_ be together now; you don't have to worry about protecting my weak body all the time, I don't have to worry about you dying and leaving me behind, and we can always just _be_ with each other. No more interruptions!"

_What interruptions?_ Inuyasha thought. _There's nothing to be interrupted from in here – not like we can do anything,_ he added sulkily.

Then Kagome beamed at him, and Inuyasha's heart broke that he had to break her delusion, and found himself wishing he really _could_ leave her soul here, within himself, that it really would work. But he knew it wouldn't. The problem was convincing her of that. He stared at her so long, with such a despondent longing in his eyes, that Kagome began to get nervous.

"What's wrong Inuyasha? I'm here with you. It is perfect – isn't it?" She was suddenly slightly hesitant.

"No Kagome. I'm sorry, but it's not perfect. I want…" he paused to lick his lips, "…I want you to come back. To your own body. I _miss_ you."

"W..what? Why would you want that? Don't you want to be with me like this? I thought you loved me.." She looked at him with confusion and hurt in her eyes.

Inuyasha began to panic at where she was heading with this. "Gah – what are you talking about! Of course I love you! That's what this whole damn thing is about, stupid wench!" She looked even more confused than before. Inuyasha knew he had to explain, and quick, before she began to panic herself – he knew he'd be fucked if that happened.

"I can't keep you just for myself," he almost whispered, fighting against every instinct in his body to accede to the admission. Kagome just stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

"But you're always possessive of me. You refuse to let me be around Kouga, you threaten to kill any guy that comes near me…" she trailed off.

"Yes," he sighed, "but that's guys. What about your family? I can't take you away from them. And Shippo? He's already lost one family. I know we're all his family, but you know he's the most attached to you. To not have you there to soothe him after his nightmares, and other such crap, the kit'd be heartbroken."

Kagome nodded, tears shining in her eyes. "I know, and I do regret that I won't be able to interact with them the same way. But I know what goes on around you, and anytime I speak with you directly like this I can give you a message to whomever. Besides, you're the only other one who can go through the well so you can actually tell my family what's going on and I can see them through you."

Inuyasha's breath caught. She was willing to give up so much for him? Just to be with him? He was a bastard who didn't deserve such love, and he'd be damned if he let her throw so much of her life away just to be with him like this. So he pulled out as many dirty tricks as he could, his ego grating against him at the admissions he was just about to make. Playing her love against itself no less…

"But what about me, Kagome?" Her eyes shot up from where they had been resting on the floor, searching his face for what he meant by that. Wasn't she doing this for him? And herself? For them? "I already told you I miss you. I mean that. I can't imagine losing so many things I love about you: seeing the sunlight reflect in your hair – or even better the moonlight at night when you're standing in a field with me…seeing the way you flush with anger when you argue with me – you're so cute when you're mad!" He paused slightly to smile at her flabbergasted expression from that one. "I love watching you laugh with the others, and the way you can actually get me to laugh with them sometimes. I love the way you make me part of a group, part of a family. I love the way you lean back and close your eyes when you ride on my back and I'm going fast, the way you say you're flying and then trust me to not let you get hurt when you raise your arms from your sides and thrust them into the air. I love the fact that even though I pretend to hate it, you still sit with me on my human night. I love that you take me home with you and let me spend time with your family. I love the way your curl against me when we sit in a tree together, or when we fall asleep apart and somehow still end up in each other's arms. I can't imagine not waking up with my arms wrapped around you every morning. I can't bear the idea of not getting to make love to you the way you deserve…" he trailed off, his face beat red, his voice beginning to fade from embarrassment. He couldn't look at Kagome. He couldn't stand seeing how she'd taken his admission, how she'd deal with his vulnerability.

Little did he know Kagome's jaw was gaping. She'd had no idea such small things meant so much to him…although now that she thought about it, maybe they weren't so small to him. She couldn't stand the way he wasn't looking at her right now, as if he was afraid she'd reject him. "Inuyasha?" she prodded. When he still didn't raise his head she reached both hands to either side of his face to draw his gaze up to hers. What she didn't expect was that her hands never made contact with his skin, but just flowed right through him as though he wasn't there. Or like _she_ wasn't truly there.

"Inuyasha?" she asked again, the fear in her voice erasing all other thoughts from his mind. He saw her position, guessed what she must have done, showed her again by raking his hand straight through hers.

"I can't touch you in here Kagome. If I wasn't part demon, I doubt I'd even be able to see any of you except for that glowing ball there," he pointed to her soul.

"Is this just about a body then? Is my soul itself not good enough for you!" Although she tried to muster up as much anger as she could, still only confusion and fear came through in her voice.

Inuyasha never wished more than right now that he could touch her, just so he could shake her shoulders and bring her back to her senses. "Course not! I love _you_ Kagome – what good is a body to me without you in it? If I had to pick only your body or soul it'd be your soul in a heartbeat. Don't you know me better than that?" Despite how much he held it back, it still felt like an accusation to Kagome, one which she found to be rightly placed.

"Kagome, can you honestly tell me that you'd be happy never holding Shippo again? Never hugging your mom again? Never waking up in my arms again? Never feeling my lips on yours? I thought that's what we'd fought for this whole time, what we had waited for; we had to wait until Naraku was killed for us to finally be together. Now we are and you're scared and want to run away? I know it's easier Kagome, but there are so many things we'll both miss if you're shut up in here. What about kids? Don't you ever think about us having kids together one day?" Inuyasha knew he'd pressed the right button when her eyes started to tear up again, but he was afraid he'd gone too far. "You know what I want Kagome, but this is a decision you have to make on your own. I know life will be hard, but hey, I'm there with ya right? What have you got to be afraid of?" He let his trademark egotistical smirk flash, trying to lighten the mood slightly.

He turned from her and started to walk back toward the darkness he had come from. He had one more card to pull, and he hoped as hell she wouldn't remember enough to call his bluff. "Besides, you promised me a honeymoon. Two whole weeks you said, right?" Regardless that that was all he knew about it – he still had no idea what a honeymoon actually was, only that she was really excited about the _surprise_ she had for him – he hoped it was enough that _she_ knew what it was.

Walking even further away he commented over his shoulder, "If you're going to be unavailable, maybe I'll just have to find someone else to take me. You did, after all, _promise_…" Kagome could just barely make out the wicked gleam lighting Inuyasha's eye as his head turned away from her back toward his destination. _He wouldn't…would he? No, it had to be a bluff…didn't it?_

"Well Kagome, I'm going to go topside and see if I can't deliver a little more _persuasion_ your way. Might do ya good to come and watch, you might just decide to join in." She could hear the snicker in his voice.

_Oh hell no,_ she thought, _he is _not_ going to do what I think he's going to do. _One look at his cocky strut and she let loose a frustrated scream. _No, he was going to do _exactly _what she thought he was going to do.

* * *

_

Inuyasha opened his eyes and took a moment to orient himself. He was back to his rightful mind inside Kaede's hut, sitting next to Kagome and holding one of her hands. A few deep breaths for internal focus and he was smirking again. Kagome's soul was rising in his consciousness. She wasn't staying buried in his core – she was taking his bait and wanted to see if he would go through on his claim. Maybe she would be curious enough, or desiring enough, to allow herself to flow back into her own body. One of the few things he'd learned from the mikos about soul transfer is that the soul had to be highly conscious in order for it to happen. So now with Kagome's mind coming close to topside, this was the best shot he'd probably get.

Standing up, he shrugged off both his outer haori and inner shirt, leaving him topless. He gave a little laugh as he felt Kagome's reaction; she was frustrated that she couldn't see him. _Hopefully I'll be fixin that soon enough,_ he thought.

His eyes swept over her form, clothed only by a simple yukata. Although originally planned to make it more comfortable for her to sleep in that one position for an indefinite amount of time, the single layer certainly made his job easier. Inuyasha knelt beside her and untied her sash, letting his fingers trail teasingly just inside the folds of cloth. Suddenly he thought he saw a small tremor run through her body, but quickly dismissed it as wishful thinking and returned to the task at hand. In one smooth motion he had the yukata parted and pulled to her sides as he lifted her to him so that he could pull her arms free. He hadn't expected the feel of her breasts brushing his chest and he hissed at the delightful contact.

All too quickly for his liking he gently laid her back down then straightened to look down on his mate. Inuyasha was in awe. Although they had done this once before they had gotten straight to the act with no real playing beforehand and he hadn't been able to see her nude. Now that he was able to feast his eyes on her he didn't think he'd ever have his fill. She was absolutely beautiful, so much more than he'd imagined or been able to glimpse when he'd 'accidentally' seen her before.

Reaching down he loosened the ties on his hakama, letting them pool on the mat where he knelt. Then with the grace that only an inu youkai can manage, he slipped them completely from his body as he settled himself between Kagome's thighs, never straightening his own legs. He leaned over her, keeping all his weight on his left arm as with the back of his other hand he caressed her cheek. For a moment he just laid his forehead against hers and reveled in the feel of their hot breath mingling. "Gods Kagome, I miss you," he whispered against her lips.

That's when it finally registered. Her breathing was more rapid than it had been earlier. To that matter, so was her heartbeat. He'd been so caught up in his own reaction he hadn't been paying attention to hers! _Stupid baka_, he berated himself. Now that he was able to focus, he noticed that the bit of Kagome he could sense inside himself was intensely aroused, even frustrated. Was her body just representing how the soul felt? Were the two still that connected?

As close as she was, Inuyasha could still sense Kagome's hesitancy. Before she could retreat back into her fears, he knew he had to do something to push her over the edge. "Kagome," he whispered, and was immediately aware of the sharpening of her attention on him. "Kagome," he repeated, "you are more than I'd ever thought possible, and I know I don't deserve you. But you're mine now bitch, and I don't want to let you go. Sure your body is responding, but that's not enough. I want to see your eyes darken with desire; I want to see your eyes as I come into you and to feel the whisper of your breath when I make you scream my name at the end; to feel that _you_ are there with me; to get closer to you in every way possible…"

All the while he'd been speaking he'd been running his right hand over the curves of her body, as if to memorize them by simple touch. Now closing the scant distance between them he drew his hand down to her core and guided his head to her opening. With one powerful, long thrust he drove himself into her, burying his length to the very hilt. He grunted at the feeling as the friction started to drive him crazy and he held himself immobile for a long, long minute. Drawing out only a fraction of an inch he rocked back into her, tilting Kagome's world on its axis.

From inside Inuyasha's body Kagome was seething. She couldn't believe he had the gall to do this to her _unconscious_ body – _you know, aside from the fact he's my mate and I gave myself to him soul..and…body…crap!_ she finished the thought lamely. However, the further he got the more she realized she missed this. Before they'd been mates she had longed for this so long, and now she'd never feel it again. Still, it was better to be connected this way in spirit – wasn't it?

Then she saw Inuyasha come inside of her body and she thought she would die. She looked down at the glowing orb that was her form now and was suddenly bombarded by the empty ache that was growing inside of her, the left over feeling from being aroused and knowing that she couldn't be satisfied. She remembered that feeling of her mate moving inside of her, the utter completeness that had flooded her body.

Her consciousness inside of Inuyasha rose to a fever pitch, fear and comfort contended with desire and jealousy and everything erupted into a blinding light. Inuyasha wasn't able to track her thoughts anymore and had to shut his eyes against the cacophony that was both inside and outside his own head, when abruptly his head was thrown back and formless matter poured out of his mouth into that of his mate below him.

Before he knew it the whole episode was over, and Inuyasha was looking down into the blinking eyes of his _conscious_ mate. "Kagome!" he rasped.

She flashed him one of her brilliant trademark smiles and brought a hand up to his face. "Inuyasha," she drawled, "let me just tell you that it's really weird to be jealous of your own body." She bucked her hips up against him and reveled in the groan she drew from his lips. "Now, why don't we pick up from where we left off?"

Inuyasha, however, had plans of his own. He slowly pulled out completely and began to move up off of her when she latched onto his shoulders. "Wh-what are you doing? You drew me back here with sex and now you're leaving me!" Kagome panicked.

Inuyasha just glared at her. "Of course not, stupid wench. What kind of mate do you think I am!" Kagome didn't protest any more, but she still looked her question and did not release the death hold she had on him. He gently pulled at her fingers, prying them off one by one. "Last time we had to go to fast and be too quiet. I'm going to make you scream so hard you won't be talking the rest of the night." He capped his statement by flashing his fangs, and Kagome didn't know how but he made the movement the very embodiment of scandalous and seductive.

She, nonetheless, wasn't going to have any of that. While she knew Inuyasha didn't mind scandal, she sure did. "Baka, you know we can't do that! That's why I promised you a honeymoon – I will _not_ scream here for everyone to hear and know what's going on! I can't!" Her face, already flushed from passion, turned a flaming beet red from embarrassment.

While she struggled against him Inuyasha calmly put a finger to her lips. "Shhh…I know that. Feel what's around us though. Midoriko put up a barrier around the hut. At first I didn't know why, but I think she knew this would happen from the beginning and knew we'd want our privacy." Again he flashed that stupid grin Kagome wanted to smack him for.

"So? It's just a barrier – meaning people can't get through. If we're making a bunch of noise I don't think they're going to be trying to come in here…" Kagome's complaints were cut off by a deep passionate kiss from Inuyasha. When they finally came back up for air and both were panting heavily, Inuyasha whispered against her cheek, "It's a soundproof barrier. Feel for it again." She did so and a slow smile curved her lips when she realized he was right. This time she didn't put up a fight when he started raining kisses all down her body.

"I have decided," Inuyasha declared in the most arrogant voice he could muster, "that I shall use this time to pleasure you in every way I can think of to prove to you just how good it is you are you in your own body now. Wouldn't want to disappoint ya now, would I?"

Kagome gazed down at him with anticipation and slight horror as he lowered his head to the apex of her thighs and gave her one long good lick before he suckled and her shriek filled the room to the rafters.

Many hours later, Kagome was indeed hoarse and both she and Inuyasha were sated to their bones. Needless to say, Inuyasha had indeed proved his point.

* * *

A/N: Just a short epilogue left folks, and that's it! 


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